U.S. Environmental Protection Agency News Releases: New England Region (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, 10 tribes) Update : Settlement Repays Cleanup Costs for Whitman Cistern Site in Whitman, Mass.

You are subscribed to News Releases: New England Region (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, 10 tribes) for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. News Release U.S. Environmental Protection Agency New England Regional Office November 30, 2012 Contact: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017 Settlement Repays Cleanup Costs for Whitman Cistern Site in Whitman, Mass. (Boston, Mass. – Nov. 30, 2012) – EPA has reached a settlement with two related companies for reimbursement of EPA’s past costs for the remediation of contamination at the Whitman Cistern Site, located in Whitman, Mass.  The settlement, recently lodged in U.S. District Court, requires Brown Shoe Co. Inc. and Brown Group Retail, Inc. to pay $450,000. The Site is an undeveloped 20-acre lot, located south of 401 South Avenue in Whitman, Mass.  The former buildings at the Site were demolished about 1973.  The Site is adjacent to an eastern tributary of the Shumatuscant River, also known as Beech Hill Brook.  Regal Shoe Co. manufactured shoes at the Site from about 1903 to 1954, when the company merged into Brown Shoe Co.  Shoe manufacturing continued at the Site for several more years under different ownership.  The liability of the later owners eventually passed to Brown Group Retail, Inc. through a series of mergers.  The Site is not listed on the Superfund National Priorities List. Between Dec. 2005 and June 2006, EPA conducted a removal action to address hazardous substances, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lead and mercury, which posed threats to human health and the environment. Specifically, EPA removed about 2,800 tons of contaminated soils, demolished and removed three interconnected settling tanks or “cisterns,” and removed about 10,000 gallons of contaminated sludge contained within the cisterns. The proposed Consent Decree is subject to a 30-day comment period, which will end on December 28, 2012.  The settlement requires approval by the U.S. District Court before becoming final. More information: Proposed settlement and how to comment: http://www.justice.gov/enrd/5857.htm . #  #  # Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html) Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland) More info on EPA's Environmental Results in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/results/index.html) You can view or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems e-mail support@govdelivery.com for assistance.  This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.    This email was sent to elmasry.webmaster@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355