Shpack Landfill US Army Corps of Engineers® Site Update New Englana d District _-,, r™, . _ ryn-ir^ January 200rtrt<1 **T/re t/.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the US Army Corps of Engineers are workingtogether to address chemical and radiological waste at the Shpack Landfill Site on the Norton/ Attleboro town line. Introduction Site Activities EPA, the Massachusetts Department of Activities completed during the 2000 field Environmental Protection (MA DEP) and the season are listed below: US Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE) are working together to address chemical and Q Clearing of vegetation on the site, radiological contamination at the Shpack repairs to the fence, and posting of Landfill Site on the Norton / Attleboro town the site with signs identifying the area line. as containing hazardous materials. EPA is addressing the site under the Q A gamma walkover survey of the site Superfund program and the USAGE is to identify any areas of suspected addressing radiological contamination under radiological contamination in the the FUSRAP program (Formerly Utilized surficial soils. Sites Remdial Action Program) which is used to cleanup or control sites where radiological Sampling of residential wells. waste remains from the early years of the nation's atomic energy program. The Shpack Upcoming activities include the following: Landfilll Site was added to the FUSRAP program in 1999. EPA and MA DEP will arrange for the sampling of residential wells near the ore information site during March and once again later in the year. In spring 2001, USAGE will perform a more extensive site characterization to identify the extent of sub-surface uave Legerer. rro eci Manager cn o radiological contamination at the site. o ngeia bonarngo, uommurwy neiations During the summer 2001, the o radiological data will be analyzed and o epartment pt bnvironmenta o K) rejection the US Army Corps of Engineers will O H* NJ initiate an Engineering Evaluation / cn avebucKiev Cost Analysis (EE / CA). This N) rpject Manager document will consider various remedial alternatives and outline rmy uorps or tngmeers preferred steps to be taken to address the radiological contamination at the site. reject Manager more Q Prior to any cleanup activity of radiological contaminants by the Site Background Corps of Engineers, the public will have an opportunity to comment on the EE / CA during a 30-day public The Shpack Landfill Site is an 8-acre abandoned comment period. This public domestic and industrial landfill that operated from comment period is currently 1946 to 1965. It is located on Union Rd. / Peckham St. anticipated to occur during the late on the Norton / Attleboro town line. In 1986, the site winter 2002. was listed on the National Priority List (NPL) and EPA signed an Administrative Order by Consent in September 1990 with a group of Settling parties for Q During 2001, EPA anticipates the the performance of the remedial investigation / collection of more information feasibility study (RI/FS). The initial phase of the RI needed to complete the has been completed. characterization of the site for non- radiological contaminants. Soil The landfill consists of land formerly owned by Lea borings will be drilled to various and Isadore Shpack, now owned by the Town of depths and samples taken. Soil, Norton, and land formerly owned by Albert Dumont, sediment, and water will be collected now owned by Attleboro Landfill inc. Approximately 5 £ acres is on the Norton side of the town line and 2 £ and analyzed for chemical acres is on the Attleboro side. contaminants. The Shpack's received domestic and industrial wastes Q A decision by EPA and MA DEP on from local establishments beginning in 1946. Albert the extent of cleanup work for non- Dumont operated an open burning dump on his portion radiological contaminants on the Site of the site for the city of Attleboro beginning in the itself will come as soon as is late 1940's. In May 1966, Dumont's operations were practical after the scope of the Corps shut down by a consent order and in the same year; cleanup work is defined. the Shpack's ceased all operations on their portion of the site. The contaminants of primary concern include radioactive compounds, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals. The VOCs most often detected are trans - 1,2-dichloroethene (tDEC), and tricloroethene (TCE). Some of the heavy metals that have been found at the site include zinc, copper, chromium, lead, nickel, iron and manganese. The principal radioactive compounds are radium and uranium. An NRC investigation determined that the former MA C Nuclear, Inc., of Attleboro (now Texas Instruments) disposed of trash and other materials, including zirconium ashes, associated with nuclear fuel operations conducted from 1957 to 1965 at the Shpack site. The General plate division of M A C began to fabricate enriched uranium foils at this facility in 1952. In 1959, they merged with Texas Superfund Records Center Instruments who continued operations at the site using enriched and natural uranium for the fabrication of nuclear fuel for the U.S. Navy and commercial SITE-.. customers from 1959 -1981. Fabrication and BREAK'-. associated activities were conducted on the Attleboro site under contract to the Atomic Energy Commission OTHER: (AEC) and under an AEC (later an NRC) license. .