News Releases from Region 01

Cleaner Environment Advanced with Hatheway & Patterson Superfund Site Removal

Hatheway & Patterson is located in Mansfield and Foxborough, Mass.

Boston – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized the deletion of the Hatheway & Patterson Superfund Site from the National Priorities List (NPL). Deletion of sites from the NPL may occur once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved.

"Under Administrator Pruitt's leadership, EPA is laser focused on making progress at Superfund Sites," said EPA Regional Administrator Alexandra Dunn. "Deleting Hatheway & Patterson from the NPL is an exciting moment, marking the completion of many years of cleanup work and returning the site to the towns for future planning."

Deleting the site means that EPA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) have concluded that all appropriate Superfund-financed response actions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), have been implemented and that no further cleanup is appropriate for the site. Moreover, EPA and MassDEP have determined that cleanup actions conducted at the site to date continue to be protective of public health and the environment.

"The cleanup of the Hatheway & Patterson site means the return of this property to productive use, the surrounding environment restored, and the nearby neighborhood protected," said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. "I am pleased to be here with EPA and local officials to celebrate this milestone."

"The Town of Foxborough is pleased to be able to share in the announcement of the removal of the Hathaway & Patterson site from the list of EPA's active Superfund Sites. This is clearly an important milestone for our community and for the EPA. We are grateful for the significant investment and the progress made toward improving the environmental conditions of this site" said Foxborough Town Manager, William Keegan.

"The Town of Mansfield is very thankful for the partnership with EPA in managing Brownfields sites. It is always nice to have strong partners with our federal agencies especially in situations as in the Hatheway Patterson Site where this could not have been done on our own. It took the federal investment of millions of dollars as well as the required clean-up oversight to come to this final stage in the remediation process. We look forward to working with our neighboring Town of Foxborough to enhance the area for commuter access," said Mansfield Town Manager, Kevin Dumas.

EPA proposed the site for deletion on December 1, 2017, and provided a 30-day comment period. EPA reviewed the comments received and determined that comments do not impact EPA's determination to remove the site from the NPL. A response to comments and the Final Rule to Delete the Site can be found in docket EPA-HQ-SFUND-2002-0001, accessed through the https://www.regulations.gov website, and the site page https://www.epa.gov/superfund/hatheway.

The 40-acre Hatheway & Patterson site is located in a mixed residential and industrial area of Mansfield and Foxborough, Massachusetts. A former wood-preserving facility operated on-site. Operations included preserving wood sheeting, planking, timber, piling, poles and other wood products. Facility operations led to soil, groundwater and sediment contamination. Following cleanup, operation and maintenance activities and monitoring are ongoing.

The completed cleanup included cost over $28 million and included:

• The removal of approximately 43,500 tons of contaminated soil;
• The consolidation of contaminated materials under a multi-layer, low-permeability cap;
• The use of Institutional Controls to prohibit the use of site groundwater and restrict land uses in a manner that ensures the protectiveness of the remedy as described in the Record of Decision (ROD);
• Long-term plans for monitoring of groundwater, surface water and sediment; and
• Continued examination of the remedy through five-year reviews, and operation and maintenance plans.

Portions of the site are already being reused. A 119-space commuter parking lot is located on part of the site. It serves the nearby Foxborough commuter rail station. The town of Mansfield also uses part of the site for emergency vehicle storage and office space.

For more information on the site and to view the deletion documents, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/hatheway