Town 20 minutes away from me: EPA and MassDEP Provide Update on Environmental Monitoring Following Uxbridge Fire

[Guest guest]

I have two sons that live 10 minutes outside of this town, and I was there on

Monday and didn't know until then about the fire. Darlene

EPA and MassDEP Provide Update on Environmental Monitoring Following Uxbridge

Fire

Release date: 07/25/2007

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/ecf7475741ccaf40852573230053c330?Open\

Document

Contact Information: Sheryl Rosner, U.S. EPA, (617) 918-1865 Edmund J. Coletta

Jr., MassDEP, (617) 292-5737

(Boston, Mass. - July 25, 2007) – In response to the massive fire that broke out

on July 21st at the Bernat Mill in Uxbridge, Mass., the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection

(MassDEP) have been continuously monitoring the area to assess air and water

quality impacts that may have resulted from the eight-alarm blaze. Before the

fire destroyed a vast majority of the 350,000 sq. foot mill, it housed over 65

small businesses.

EPA and MassDEP personnel and contractors have been on-site at the mill complex

since Saturday morning. EPA has been monitoring the air for particulate matter

(soot), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are organic gases that can be

emitted from a large array of products, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen

sulfide. In addition, EPA conducted at least six rounds of air samples to test

for airborne asbestos and metals concentrations.

With the exception of a small number of sample readings indicating elevated

levels of particulates that were collected downwind from the fire on Saturday

afternoon, none of the air samples or monitoring have shown levels of concern to

public health. The elevated levels of particulate matter shown by EPA’s monitors

around the site on Saturday prompted local police, fire and public health

officials to inform residents to consider evacuation or shelter-in-place until

air-quality improved.

MassDEP continues to monitor water quality in the Mumford River, to determine if

runoff water and oil from the fire site have impacted the river and its

resources.

MassDEP has emergency contractors maintaining containment booms at six locations

downstream from the fire site on the Mumford and Blackstone rivers to capture

debris and floating oil on the surface.

The contractors are vacuuming oil off the surface of the river closest to the

fire scene to aid in oil recovery from the river and at the Depot Street Bridge.

An estimated 700 gallons of oil has been removed from the river to date.

MassDEP has sampled for water quality in the two rivers since Saturday, and

results from samples taken Saturday and Sunday indicated the presence of VOCs,

metals and heavy metals. Some of these results were above drinking water

standards, however the Blackstone River is not a source of drinking water for

any municipality or private system and these levels would not suggest a

significant threat to wildlife. Additional sampling will take place this week to

determine if water quality is improving.

No impacts have been detected to the Uxbridge groundwater wells downstream near

the river, but the wells there have temporarily been shut down as a precaution.

More information: EPA emergency response efforts (epa.gov/region1/superfund/er)

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