EPA and ITT LLC Reach Agreement at the Keddy Mill Superfund Site on Plan to Demolish and Remove Contaminated Mill Structure
WINDHAM, MAINE (Aug. 11, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has reached an agreement with ITT LLC, the "Potentially Responsible Party" associated with the Keddy Mill Superfund Site in Windham, Maine. Under the agreement, a dilapidated, two-story concrete industrial structure on the property that has elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), asbestos, and other contaminants known to pose a risk to human health and the environment will be demolished and removed.
Under the Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent (AOC), the building will be demolished, and the contaminated materials will be removed from the Site. This work will be done in compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as "Superfund," and ensures the cleanup will protect human health and the environment. Cleanup work is expected to be phased, initially consisting of pre-design investigation activities, beginning in 2022.
"EPA is very pleased that after years of assessment and discussion with the community, we are moving into a significant stage of recovery and reclamation of this site," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "The upcoming building demolition and removal of contaminated materials is an important step in the lengthy process of returning a Superfund site to productive use in a community."
The almost seven-acre property on Depot Street in Windham was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites in 2014. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country to protect people's health and the environment. The overall site is currently undergoing a "Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study" phase to determine the nature and extent of contamination and associated human health and environmental risks at the site. This work will also develop and analyze a range of potentially viable cleanup alternatives for the Site.
The Site has a long history, with operations beginning in the late 1700s and ending in 1997. The building that will be demolished and removed was used as a grist and carding mill, pulp mill, box-board manufacturing facility and as a steel mill. Throughout the industrial history, several buildings have been demolished and others added to the mill complex.
More information:
A copy of the AOC and additional information about the Keddy Mill Superfund Site can be found at: www.epa.gov/superfund/keddy