Beede waste oil Superfund site enters new cleanup phase

Jul. 26—PLAISTOW — Cleanup efforts at the Beede Superfund site are moving along with soil and sediment excavation starting this summer.

This next cleanup phase covers three acres of land at the corner of Kelley Road and Fran Avenue — to the north side of Kelly Brook — and could take up to two years to complete.

Vibration surveys are planned this week to make sure neighboring homes won't be affected by the excavation. Invasive plants and small trees will also be removed.

The site was used for recycled oil from the 1920s until 1994.

Mismanagement of the oil allowed it to seep into the ground and contaminate the soil and groundwater. It was deemed a Superfund site — a location the Environmental Protection Agency deems intensely contaminated — in 1996.

A 2008 consent decree solidified the Beede cleanup process.

Customers of the facility formed the Beede Site Group and are now contributing to cleanup efforts led by the EPA. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services also oversees the project.

Ongoing cleanup efforts over the last decade and a half have included a water treatment system, which cleaned and replenished 470 million gallons of groundwater, and two thermal treatment phases performed by TerraTherm.

At the 41-acre site, 70,000 gallons of oil and 500,000 pounds of sediment have been removed.

Michael Skinner, an independent consultant who serves as the Beede Site Group's project coordinator, has been part of the effort since 2004.

Skinner said the success of prior thermal treatments to eradicate deeper contaminated soil will allow this new phase to operate smoother.

The focus will now turn to shallower soil contaminants, up to 10 feet deep.

"This summer we are going to be digging up the landfill area," Skinner said.

"It was an old dump and it has significant contaminated oil in the ground which steam was not effective to clean it up. We are digging up that oil and soil and going to haul it off-site so it can be disposed of properly."

Along with soil, contaminated sediments will be removed.

"It's very minimal contaminants of the sediments at Kelly Brook and probably a couple hundred yards of sediment that we are going to be digging out," Skinner said. "Once that is completed by the end of the summer, by early fall, we are going to restore that area back to what we consider natural habitat."

An area named "partial two" — where natural wildlife habitats have been restored in recent years — has already been deemed clean. Nearby residents, students and the public have been able to enjoy the area.

The cleanup phase slated for this summer is referred to as "partial one." Skinner said these updated cleaning efforts will further the goal of habitat restoration.

"One thing we started to do in the beginning was make sure we preserved that clean area because we realized that it's very active from a habitat standpoint," Skinner said. "There are a lot of critters, bears on site and all kinds of animals. We found that it's a crossroads — a travel corridor for animals from the coast and up through Plaistow."

As the cleanup continues, the hope is for the site to be used for educational purposes to learn about the wildlife population and as an environmental cautionary tale.

This part of the cleanup will also continue to focus on groundwater treatment and water conservation around Kelly Brook as to not deplete the groundwater available to wells. Wall installation is also scheduled to control water flow with underground steel sheets so groundwater can't contaminate Kelly Brook.

While this phase is lengthy, more is planned to restore the land and make it safe for future use.

Skinner said it could take until 2027, and the Beede site will not be taken off the EPA's National Priorities List until the groundwater part is completed —which could reach 2052 or beyond.

"The surface will be safe for everybody, but the groundwater is what we are working on," Skinner said. "We have a groundwater plant there that is going to be in continued use."

Social landscapes and environmental concerns have changed since the Beede facility was in operation. During its early days during WWII, Skinner noted how oil was put in a big hole that allow sediments in the oil to seep to the bottom. Oil left on top would be pulled off and used as fuel oil.

A hundred years after the facility first opened, the cleanup of mishandled practices will continue in phases like this two-year excavation and until the site is deemed non-hazardous for future use.

"When you think back of what the parameters were, what people did and how they thought about the environment, it's a whole different ballgame," Skinner said of Beede's early practices. "The needs were different. The contamination is significant and we've been working very hard to minimize that."