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EPA’s Drum Removal Cleanup Complete at Milford, NH Site

Release Date: 08/24/04
Contact Information:

Contact: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

For Immediate Release: August 24, 2004 Release # 04-08-12

BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has completed drum removal work at the Grugnale Waste Disposal site in Milford, NH. To date, EPA has spent about $1 million to remove 147 drums containing hazardous materials and about 250 tons of contaminated soil near the drums from the site, which is located in a rural area of Milford. All of the contaminated materials were shipped off-site for disposal.

Previously, various organic chemicals and solvents had been detected in soil and groundwater near the site. In 1998, after the NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) found wells for several homes to be contaminated above safe drinking water levels, EPA extended the town’s municipal water system and connected 24 impacted or threatened residences in 1999 and 2000.
In 2002, DES further investigated different portions of the Grugnale site based on historical information about allegedly buried drums. After finding several buried drums on the site, which contained hazardous materials, DES requested EPA’s assistance to assess and address the area where the drums had been discovered.

EPA used geophysical instruments and exploratory excavations to conduct an expanded investigation of the property and identified additional buried drums. EPA excavated and removed 147 drums from the property. All of the drums and contaminated waste have been shipped off site for disposal at a permitted facility and the site has been restored.

Related Information:
Grugnale Waste Disposal Fact Sheet
Long-Term Cleanups