Nuclear Metals, Inc. Superfund Site

Remedial Design / Remedial Action

Our story

About the NMI Superfund Site

The Remedial Design and Remedial Action for the Nuclear Metals, Inc. Superfund Site, performed by de maximis, inc. on behalf of the Settling Defendants of the Consent Decree, Civil Action No. 19-12097-RGS, will follow the remedy outlined in USEPA’s Record of Decision, September 2015.The Remedial Action Components include: Sites-wide Soils & Sediment Remediation, including excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated sediments, underground drain lines and debris, and non-Holding Basin (HB) soils; In-Situ Sequestration of depleted uranium (DU) in the HB soils and of DU and natural uranium in overburden and bedrock groundwater; Containment of Holding Basin stabilized soils with a low-permeability vertical wall and horizontal subgrade cover; Ex-situ Groundwater treatment of VOCs and 1,4-dioxane in groundwater (already initiated under the Groundwater NTCRA); and,1,4-dioxane and VOCs in Bedrock Groundwater. The Remedy also includes long-term monitoring to monitor effectiveness of both in- and ex-situ treatment and Institutional Controls.

Progress News

RDWP Documents Approved by EPA

November 6, 2020
Remedial Design Work Plan Documents, originally submitted to EPA on March 26, 2020, have been approved and work has commenced. The RDWP documents include the Pre-Design Investigation Work Plans and all the Response to EPA Comment documents and are now available for download.

Remediation Team

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NMI Site History Highlights

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1958
Nuclear Metals, Inc. began operations on specialty metals research and development on 30 acres at 2229 Main Street, Concord, MA.
1958-1985
September 1972
NMI employees purchased the company and began large scale depleted uranium manufacturing operations, primarily manufacturing DU penetrators for the military.
1985
October 1, 1997
NMI was renamed Starmet Corporation.
1998
1999
Starmet Corp. ceased making munitions with DU (beryllium-aluminum alloys, thorium, thorium oxide and DU work continued by other subsidiaries).
June 2001
March/April 2002
Starmet Corp. filed for bankruptcy (although it didn't go through).
2002
June 2003
Administrative Order on Consent and Settlement Agreement reached between 5 PRPs and USEPA for a Remedial Investigation /Feasibility Study.
August 1, 2003
2003 - November 2011
The Site was occupied by Starmet and their affiliates, with operations focused on metal powder manufacture and Beralcast® Manufacture (beryllium-aluminum alloy).
June 2003 – October 2014
2008
USEPA performs second Time-Critical Removal Action for other flammable/hazardous materials.
February 2008
September 2008
USEPA issues Action Memo for Building Non Time-Critical Removal Action (Building NTCRA).
August 9, 2011
November 2011
Starmet abandons site and Respondents take responsibility of the property.
2011 – September 2016
November 2014
USEPA issues the Proposed Plan.
September 2015
July 11, 2016
Administrative Order on Consent and Settlement Agreement for Non-Time Critical Removal Action for Groundwater becomes effective.
September 2016 - Present
May 2017
Respondents commence pumping at EW-1 to achieve hydraulic capture of the VOC and 1,4-dioxane plume, downgradient of the NMI Site property.
September 2018
June 2019
Construction of Permanent GW Treatment System complete. Operations of Advance Oxidaction Process for treatment of 1,4-dioxane begin.
December 6, 2019
1958
1958-1985
Site operators disposed manufacturing by-products, including waste solutions containing dissolved depleted uranium and copper, spent acid, and lime, into the unlined holding basin.
1985
Discharge to holding basin ceased when acid closed-loop recycling process began.
October 1, 1997
1998
Voluntary partial cleanup of contaminated soils and sediments, including approximately 8,000 cu. yds. of DU and copper contaminated soil and sludge from the Holding Basin, under MADEP oversight.
1999
June 2001
NMI Site added to the National Priorities List (NPL).
March/April 2002
2002
USEPA performs Time-Critical Response Action which included fence installation around old landfill area, regrading and capping, and liner placement in the holding basin.
June 2003
August 1, 2003
After MA Department of Public Health proposed modification of Starmet Corp.'s Radioactive Materials License, Starmet agreed it would no longer conduct manufacturing involving radioactive materials at the facility.
2003 - November 2011
June 2003 - October 2014
Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study performed.
2008
February 2008
USEPA issues Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA) prepared by Respondents to evaluate means and costs to empty and demolish buildings on site.
September 2008
August 9, 2011
Settlement Agreement and Statement of Work (SOW) became effective for Building NTCRA.
November 2011
2011-September 2016
Respondents perform Building NTCRA, including disposal of 912 intermodal shipments to a licensed facility in Idaho. About 23.5 million pounds of waste were disposed of off-site.
November 2014
September 2015
USEPA publishes the Record of Decision.
July 11, 2016
September 2016 - Present
Post-Removal Site Control Activities performed on the Site property.
May 2017
September 2018
Begin installation of the Permanent GW Treatment System.
June 2019
December 6, 2019
Effective date of the Consent Decree for Remedial Design / Remedial Action with the Settling Defendants.
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