EPA Selects Interim Cleanup Plan for Collins & Aikman Plant (Former) Superfund Site
BOSTON (July 16, 2025) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected an interim cleanup plan for the Collins & Aikman Plant (former) Superfund Site, located off NH Route 11 in Farmington, New Hampshire. The interim plan for soil and groundwater at the site is necessary to protect the human health and the environment until a final cleanup plan is selected.
The interim cleanup plan, formally called a Record of Decision, is based on EPA's Remedial Investigation, human health and ecological risk assessments, the Feasibility Study, and comments received on EPA's proposed plan during a 60-day public comment period.
EPA's interim cleanup plan will take two to four years to design and execute and includes, among other things:
- Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil and debris;
- Restoration of excavated areas with clean backfill;
- In situ (in place) treatment of groundwater contaminants;
- Post-treatment monitoring of groundwater throughout the site to assess effectiveness;
- Implementation of interim Institutional Controls (ICs) to prevent activities that would interfere with future remedial investigations or any future remedial action that may be required, prevent exposure to groundwater vapors into any future buildings constructed on site, and prevent the withdrawal or use of groundwater until final cleanup plan is established.
- Monitoring of the groundwater plume to document that it is not migrating beyond its current location;
- Inspections and operation and maintenance;
- Five-Year Reviews to assess the protectiveness of the interim cleanup.
The estimated total cost to implement the interim clean up, including construction, operation and maintenance, and long-term monitoring, will be $24.7 million.
A copy of the interim cleanup plan, EPA’s response to public comments on the proposed plan, the Administrative Record supporting the cleanup plan, and other background information about the Collins & Aikman Plant (former) Superfund Site can be found at: www.epa.gov/superfund/collins
Record of Decision Administrative Record
Background
The site is comprised of the former Collins & Aikman Automotive Interiors, Inc. facility and property, located on two parcels south of NH Route 11, totaling 106 acres (the Property). The site also extends into and includes an approximate 152-acre area north of NH Route 11 that is affected by Site-related contamination, including a groundwater plume, that is roughly bounded by NH Route 11, Pokamoonshine Brook to the north/northwest, and the boundaries of several properties containing the plume to the east.
Operations conducted at the facility included the manufacture of instrumentation panel pads bumpers, fascias, and other parts for automobiles and trucks. Manufacturing processes conducted at the facility included polyurethane foam molding, construction of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shells, and the assembly of the finished panels. Painting operations were also conducted at the facility. The manufacturing processes involved the use of solvents, some of which were released to groundwater, soil, and surface water at the facility.
In December 2013, EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL). Between 2014 and 2024, EPA conducted a remedial investigation of the nature and extent of contamination at the Site, and a feasibility study of remedial options to address the contamination.