Public Comment Period Extended for Proposed Change to the Soil Cleanup Plan at the Fletcher’s Paint Superfund Site in Milford, N.H.

EPA has granted a thirty day extension to the Public Comment Period for the proposed change to the soil cleanup plan at the Fletcher’s Paint Superfund Site in Milford, New Hampshire.

The extension allows for comments to be made on the Proposed Plan through August 18, 2008. Based on information collected over the past several years during the remedial design, EPA is proposing a fundamental change to the Operable Unit 1 remedy that was selected in the September, 1988 Record of Decision. The 1988 plan selected excavation and on site treatment of the soils with the highest levels of contamination by low temperature thermal desorption.

The updated cleanup plan presented at the June 17, 2008 public meeting proposes excavation and disposal of approximately 28,000 cubic yards of highly contaminated soils to a licensed off-site landfill. The proposed change to off-site disposal would achieve the same overall protection of human health and the environment by achieving the same cleanup standards through the removal of highly contaminated soil from the community.

Off-site disposal would reduce the overall construction period and reduce the time until cleanup standards are met in soils. The overall cost of the soil cleanup action may be reduced by up to $9 million.

The comment period began June 18 and has been extended to August 18, 2008.