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Textile Mill Waits for Cleanup One of New England's most productive textile mills closed its doors in 1996, but the chemicals it used to dye and process fabrics continue to affect the local groundwater supply, inhibiting village residents from drinking water from their wells.
The central Maine hamlet of Corinna, home to just over 2,100 residents, boasts a rich Revolutionary War history and a scenic location amid rolling hills, farms and forests. Up until a few years ago, Corinna also featured an old textile mill and a quaint New England town center. The Eastland Woolen Mill has since been demolished and Corinna's downtown is a massive toxic construction site contaminated by the hazardous chemical chlorobenzene. The mill has left a legacy of toxic water that is spreading far downstream. EPA studies are revealing that the plume of contamination has spread deep down into bedrock and into the lake downstream.(1) The pollution has been devastating not only to the local environment, but to the local economy as well. Corinna is not as prosperous as it once was, but the town's location, less than 10 miles off Interstate 95 in a region renowned for its beautiful countryside and recreational opportunities, might have brought renewed economic vigor. Instead, cleanup operations have forced local businesses to relocate and caused prospective tourists to choose alternative vacation destinations.(2) The Eastland Woolen Mill opened in the early 1900s and remained in business until the late 1990s. It was one of the few factories in the Corinna vicinity, employing more than 600 people in its heyday.(3) But there was a dark side to the Eastland Woolen Mill's legacy. During more than 70 years of operation, the mill dumped chemicals generated in manufacturing processes directly into the nearby Sebasticook River. As a result of the contamination, residents of Corinna cannot drink water from their wells, and it will be a long time before they can fish and swim in the river that has since been rerouted around the toxic site. Through most of its long history, the mill used large quantities of hazardous chemicals, including various types of chlorobenzenes, a major component of the dye-aid used to color the wool.(4) According to the EPA, during the 1960s and early 1970s, mill owners dumped the chemical "either directly into the East Branch of the Sebasticook River or into a tail race that led to the river."5 This practice led to massive environmental degradation of the soil, river, and groundwater, and the cleanup plan has resulted in the dismantling and rerouting of Corinna's Main Street and redirecting the riverbed.(6) According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, "chlorobenzene is a colorless, flammable liquid with an aromatic, almond-like odor."(7) It is a man-made chemical that does not fully dissolve in water.(8) When ingested, it can cause liver, kidney, and central nervous system problems.(9) When the mill folded in 1996, the company could not pay for cleaning up the site, which included a two-year plan to remove more than 60,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and a groundwater remediation program.(10) In 1997, the EPA took responsibility for the site and removed 54,673 pounds of hazardous substances from the mill. Two years later, in the winter of 1999, the EPA removed contaminated soil from beneath the mill and the river.(11) Thorough cleanup also required the EPA to demolish the mill's structure and relocate Corinna's Main Street, which previously passed directly through the village center. While this part of the cleanup was scheduled for completion by early 2002, it is still not finished. In July, the Bush administration cut funding for cleanup of the Eastland Superfund site. Before the Bush administration's decision, the town was told that cleanup would take only 18 more months. Now an end seems more distant. With less than half the money the EPA regional office requested for work on the site this year, much of the decontamination will have to wait until more funding is available. According to Ed Hathaway, EPA Remedial Project Manager, the main portion of the cleanup was scheduled to be complete in 2004,(12) but lack of funds will delay that. Without the ability to clean up the Superfund site, 115,000 tons of excavated, toxic soil remains sitting in piles waiting to be decontaminated. Unfortunately, even after Corinna's soil has been cleaned and put back into the earth, even after a new downtown has been constructed, signs of contamination will remain. With a rerouted riverbed and contaminated groundwater, reminders of the mill's toxic legacy will long be close at hand for the residents of Corinna. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
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