Members of the public are invited to attend a community meeting on Monday November 7, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at the Public Safety Building Community Room, 220 Washington Street, Somerville, MA to discuss the City of Somerville’s application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a federal brownfields cleanup grant to assist in the remediation of the former Kiley Barrel site.

Requests for accommodations for persons with disabilities must be made by the close of business on Thursday, November 3 by contacting Carlene Campbell at 617-625-6600 x. 2615 (voice); ccampbell@somervillema.gov (email); or 617-625-0722 (fax).  General questions about the meeting should be directed to the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) at 617-615-6600 x. 2561 or sazar@somervillema.gov.

Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor

Background

The former Kiley Barrel property (“Site”) consists of eight contiguous parcels of land including, 20-22 Prospect Street, 264-266 Somerville Avenue, 9 and 10 Milk Place, 8, 14 and 16-20 Bennett Street, located in the City of Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The Site, together with the city owned parking lot at 0 Prospect Street, is approximately 31,956 square feet in size and is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Prospect Street and Somerville Avenue, just east of Union Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Site adjoins Prospect Street, Milk Place, Bennett Street, Allen Street, and Somerville Avenue.

The Kiley Barrel Company operated from 1951 through 1989. The facility cleaned, refurbished and distributed drums that reportedly stored both chemical products and bakery products. The residual products and used cleaning solutions were discharged to a drain located in the rear of 14 Allen Street. The drain is reportedly connected to the municipal sewer system, although there is no proof of that. Mr. Kiley left the property to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in his will. MGH then sold the inherited property to a private developer who wanted to construct a use that was not in conformance with the Union Square Master Plan.

In January 2002 the City hired GeoInsight, Inc. to conduct a preliminary assessment of the site, review all environmental documents, and summarize their findings as part of their due diligence process regarding the acquisition of the Site from the private developer. This review revealed that additional site assessment was necessary in order to more fully understand the extent of the contamination at the site. After several years of negotiating with the private developer, the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) finally purchased the former Kiley Barrel in February 2002.

Following the acquisition of the site, assessment investigations have discovered the existence of metals in the soil, including lead and arsenic in concentrations above Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) limits. There are also Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Perchloroethane (PCE), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) detected in the soil above DEP’s limits. Additionally, vinyl chloride (VC) and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA)was found in the ground water.

All hazardous substances present onsite occurred prior to the SRA taking ownership of the Site. It is believe that the contamination was caused by the historical uses of the site and illegal dumping. There has been no business activity at the site since the SRA took ownership.

In 2003 Clayton Group Services was hired by the City to perform assessment and prepare necessary reporting document.

In December 2006, TRC, Inc. was hired to conduct assessment activities for the City at multiple sites, including the former Kiley Barrel property, under the Brownfields Program. On April 13, 2007, EPA approved our Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that described activities to be conducted at the Site. Assessment activities conducted at the former Kiley Barrel property include assessment of VC and 1,2-DCA in groundwater at down gradient residential properties and public right-of ways to evaluate the extent of the plume and potential impacts to indoor air in adjacent residences.

At the DEP’s request, the City conducted groundwater and indoor air sampling at the off-site locations adjacent to the Site: 5-7 Allen Street, 9 Allen Street, 11 Allen Street, 13 Allen Street, and 250-256 Somerville Avenue. The purpose of these investigations was to assess whether VOCs released to groundwater at the former Kiley Barrel Site were impacting down gradient offproperty locations via vapor intrusion.

The results of groundwater and indoor air sampling disclosed no Imminent Hazard (IH) conditions existing in the indoor air. However, the combination of background traces of “contaminants of potential concern” in both the groundwater and the indoor air suggested that those contaminants in underground water, although low, have the potential to become a concern. As required, TRC on behalf of the City informed DEP of the findings on April 24, 2009 and submitted the required reports on May 4, 2009.

On May 1 and May 5, 2009, TRC conducted soil sampling at the following off-property locations: 5-7 Allen Street, 9 Allen Street, 11 Allen Street, 13 Allen Street, 250-256 Somerville Avenue, 4 Milk Place, and Bennett Street. The sampling was conducted pursuant to methodology approved by DEP.

Imminent Hazard (IH) conditions were identified at each of the off-site locations (5-7, 9, 11, and 13 Allen Street, 250-256 Somerville Ave, and 4 Milk Place from elevated metals, primarily lead and arsenic. TRC notified DEP of the findings on May 18, 2009, and submitted its written report to DEP on June 5, 2009.

The City continues to work with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City’s environmental consultant TRC, Inc. to gather additional data regarding the situation and develop and implement an immediate strategy that minimizes the public’s exposure to high levels of arsenic and lead in area soils and a long-term strategy to fully address all environmental conditions. Some of the research involves reviewing historic records regarding the filling of the Millers River over a century ago. In addition, the DEP will be undertaking soil testing on properties on the east side of Allen Street so that the extent of the situation can be determined.

Allen Street Community – Adjacent to the former Kiley Barrel Site

The Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD is taking the first steps to address the Imminent Hazard Conditions (IH) that exist along Allen Street by capping the soil at the following properties:

4 Milk Place,
258 Somerville Avenue,
250-256 Somerville Avenue,
5-7 Allen Street,
9 Allen Street,
11 Allen Street,
13 Allen Street, and
17 Allen Street.

The City released Invitation for Bid No. 10-21 on October 28, 2009 and held a pre-bid conference and site visit at 10:00 A.M. on November 4, 2009

The soil capping project will remove vegetation in the non-paved areas of properties identified above, install a geo-textile membrane over pervious areas and then add 6 inches of crushed stone over the membrane. This temporary solution allows pedestrians and pets safe access to these areas. All work will be coordinated with owners and occupants to ensure minimal disturbance.

Note, all organic material that can be ingested should be disposed of permanently. It is not safe to eat any food grown in this area