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Site Assessments

Brownfields Site Investigation and Evaluation

Client:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region I

Scope:

Site investigation, evaluation of cleanup options, remediation cost estimation, grant proposal

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields program promotes the cleanup and sustainable redevelopment of brownfields. The Volpe Center has supported EPA Region 1’s Brownfields program since 2000 and has conducted environmental site assessments at three Brownfields sites in Massachusetts: the Assets Site in Lowell, the Gilbertville Woven Label Site in Hardwick, and the Pearl Street Mill Site in Bellingham. The assessments were performed to determine the extent of contamination, potential solutions for cleanup, and the costs to prepare the sites for redevelopment.

All three sites were former textile mills whose redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination resulting from leaking storage tanks, previous spills, and the presence of a variety of hazardous materials and waste. The Volpe Center’s site assessment work included background and historical investigations of each site, which proved to be particularly interesting, especially with regard to the Assets Site, whose ownership history is documented to the early 19^th century. The Assets Site consists of a powerhouse and boiler-and-coal houses that produced steam and hydroelectric power from 1899 through the early 1990s. The buildings are the last of their kind remaining in Lowell, home to the Lowell National Historical Park. The park, which includes historic cotton textile mills, worker housing, and 5.6 miles of canals, commemorates the history of the American Industrial Revolution. The National Park Service (NPS) is working with the owner to acquire the site for inclusion in the park to exhibit historic power-generation technology. The NPS is also studying the feasibility of reactivating the Assets hydroelectric plant to power certain elements of the park, such as the historic light rail trolley (circa 1925) that currently transports visitors through the park. The reuse options being studied for the Gilbertville Woven Label and Pearl Street Mill Sites include redevelopment for light industrial use and housing for senior citizens. Volpe Center staff also recently served on EPA’s National Brownfields Panel and participated in the evaluation of Brownfields Cleanup Grant proposals.