OSWER/OSRTI

Washington, DC 20460

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Proposed Site*** December 2013 

KEDDY MILL Windham, Maine 

Cumberland County 

 Site Location:

Keddy Mill is a 6.9 acre site located at 7 Depot Street in the Little Falls area of the Town of Windham Maine. 

 Site History:

Many industrial activities have been conducted on the Keddy Mill site between 1756 and 1997 including, a sawmill, grist 

and wool carding mill, wood pulp and boxboard manufacturing, steel manufacturing and fabrication of heavy equipment 

buckets, manufacturing of fire suppression piping and materials, a small machine shop and equipment storage. Several 

buildings on the site have been demolished, and the site currently consists of a single abandoned multistoried concrete 

building. The site has been vacant since 1997. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants:

The primary contaminant of concern at the Keddy Mill site is polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which are likely associated 

with cutting oils and electrical components used during previous industrial operations. The site includes two sources of 

contamination. The first is a pile of deposited slag material on the north side of the mill building, the second an area of 

contaminated soil extending from north of the vacant building to the southwest side of the building adjacent to the 

Presumpscot River.

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Contamination from PCBs is widespread throughout the site and inside the abandoned mill building. As a result run-off 

from storms transports PCBs into the adjacent Presumpscot River. Sampling has shown that PCBs have been released to 

the river, potentially contaminating adjacent wetlands. The abandoned building has been vandalized, which indicates that 

trespassers access the site. Potential contact with PCBs in surface soil and within the mill poses a health threat.

 Response Activities (to date):

Two removal actions have been performed on the Keddy Mill site by previous owners. The first involved the excavation of 

10.88 tons of petroleum impacted soil in 1997. The second, during May and July 2010, was performed in accordance with 

the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Self Implementing Clean-up Plan (SICP) submitted in 2006. Only a portion of 

the SICP was performed which included; removal of PCB-contaminated fuel oils in remaining piping and PCBcontaminated sludge, dirt, debris and oily materials from within the building. In addition the current owner has constructed 

a fence around the site at the request of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to deter trespassers.

 Need for NPL Listing:

Investigation under a Brownfields grant by the town of Windham determined that the site was too contaminated to qualify 

for a Brownfields clean-up, and the state of Maine does not have the resources to address the site under their Uncontrolled 

Site Program. The state of Maine requested the EPA consider the site for inclusion on the NPL to ensure that a 

comprehensive evaluation and cleanup is achieved. The EPA has received a letter from the Governor of Maine supporting 

placement of the site on the NPL. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may 

change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent 

FR notices.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these 

substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet 

at http://www.atsdr.csc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.