Rose Disposal Pit is a 1-acre former waste disposal area in Lanesborough, Massachusetts. General Electric dumped waste oils and solvents there from 1951 through 1959. The site was added to the federal National Priorities List (NPL) on June 10, 1986, marking it as a priority for cleanup under the Superfund program.
State inspectors found 15,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Twenty distinct chemical substances have been identified as contaminants of concern, including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, benzene, and chlorinated hydrocarbons. These contaminants are present in groundwater, soil, sediment, and surface water. Two plumes of contaminated groundwater were found moving east and south from the site.
General Electric is the responsible party conducting cleanup work. Contaminated soil was excavated and treated, with that work finishing in July 1994. A groundwater extraction and treatment system started running in 1993 and continues today. The disposal area was capped, nearby pond sediments and surface water were treated, and an alternate water supply was provided to affected residents. Construction was formally completed on September 20, 1994. General Electric conducts semi-annual groundwater monitoring. Institutional controls placed on the property deed in 2010 restrict groundwater use within site boundaries and limit land use in the disposal area.
EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, with no unacceptable pathways for people to contact contaminated materials. Contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized, and no unacceptable discharge to surface water is expected. The site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status on September 21, 2010. Ongoing long-term response action is expected to continue through approximately 2028. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL. EPA completed its sixth five-year review on September 17, 2024, confirming that response actions remain protective of human health and the environment in the short term.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site. Site records are available at the Lanesborough Public Library on Main Street in Lanesborough, or at the EPA Region 1 Office of Site Remediation and Restoration Records and Information Center at 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 in Boston, Massachusetts, reachable at 617-918-1440.
