Ottati & Goss/Kingston Steel Drum

Overview

The Ottati and Goss/Kingston Steel Drum site covers about 58 acres in Kingston, New Hampshire. From the late 1950s through 1980, operators reconditioned drums and processed hazardous materials there. Those activities left soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediments contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals, cyanide, and other hazardous substances. The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) added the site to its National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The NPL is the federal list of the most serious known or threatened releases of hazardous substances.

Cleanup has unfolded in several phases over decades. Early removal actions between 1980 and 1982 processed more than 4,000 drums. From 1988 to 1989, about 4,700 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated and treated by thermal desorption. Between 2001 and 2002, roughly 72,347 tons of PCB and VOC-contaminated soil were excavated from the main industrial area and treated on-site, and about 9,635 tons of contaminated sediment were removed from Country Pond Marsh. For groundwater, the EPA originally selected extraction and treatment, then switched in 2007 to in-place chemical oxidation. Three rounds of chemical oxidation injections were completed between September 2008 and October 2010. The site is organized into four operable units covering different areas and contamination types, including separate units for soil and groundwater at both the Ottati and Goss portion and the Kingston Steel Drum portion.

The EPA has identified 36 contaminants of concern. Groundwater contains benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, PCBs, lead, arsenic, vinyl chloride, and other compounds. Soil contains arsenic, cyanide, PCBs, benzene, and additional chemicals. Surface water and sediment are also affected by benzene, tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, and PCBs. Human exposure is assessed as under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water.

Physical construction of the cleanup is complete across the entire site. The site achieved "sitewide ready for anticipated reuse" status in December 2015. Institutional controls restrict the property to commercial or industrial use at no more than six feet of soil depth. Residential, school, and recreational uses are prohibited. A separate investigation into PFAS contamination is underway was expected to conclude by December 2025. The most recent five-year review was completed in September 2024, with the next scheduled for September 2029.

Community members can review site documents at Kingston Town Hall or at the EPA Region 1 Office in Boston, Massachusetts. For questions, community members can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. State-level inquiries can go to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

(NOTE: This summary was created based on all information available on the EPA's official site profile page as of May 29, 2026. To see the most up-to-date information provided by the EPA, visit the EPA's official profile page for this site. For questions, or to politely encourage the EPA keep their profile page current, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager assigned to this site.)