Beede Waste Oil

Overview

The Beede Waste Oil site sits on 41 acres in Plaistow, New Hampshire, where a diesel fuel and waste oil storage and recycling facility operated from the 1920s until 1994. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in December 1996. Decades of oil-related operations left the property contaminated with petroleum products, waste oil, lead from leaded gasoline, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). When operations stopped in 1994, roughly 100 large aboveground storage tanks, piles of contaminated soil, and about 800 drums of oil products were left behind. Kelley Brook, a tributary of the Little River, runs along the north and northeast edges of the property.

EPA has identified 61 contaminants of concern across multiple environmental media. Groundwater holds the largest number, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, vinyl chloride, and trichloroethene, as well as pesticides and heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury. PCBs appear in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. Kelley Brook sediment and water contain PCBs, petroleum hydrocarbons (PAHs), and VOCs at lower concentrations.

Cleanup has moved through several phases under a 2008 Consent Decree with potentially responsible parties. Thermal remediation completed in 2016 and 2020 pulled more than 500,000 pounds of waste oils and contaminants from the ground. Excavation finished in 2023 removed 9,463 tons of PCB remediation waste from the Lower Landfill and Kelley Brook area. A groundwater pump and treat system has run since 2013 and was updated in 2018 to remove PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) using activated carbon. A waterline now serves 22 households to provide safe drinking water in place of contaminated private wells. Disturbed wetland and upland areas were restored with native plants after excavation.

As of the most recent five-year review completed in September 2022, physical construction is not yet complete and the site remains on the National Priorities List. EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control and that contaminated groundwater migration is also under control. Long-term groundwater monitoring continues, and institutional controls restrict land use to prevent disturbance of soil deeper than 10 feet and ban use of site groundwater as drinking water until cleanup standards are met. The next five-year review is estimated for September through November 2027.

Community members can follow progress through EPA fact sheets and public meeting documents, of which 25 news releases and 18 fact sheets are publicly available. Site records are accessible at the Plaistow Public Library at 85 Main Street or at the EPA Region 1 records center in Boston. Starting April 22, 2025, additional groundwater investigation activities are scheduled on the property for roughly four weeks during weekday business hours. For questions, residents can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly.