Hatheway and Patterson Company

Overview

The Hatheway and Patterson Company operated a wood preserving facility on a roughly 40-acre site straddling Mansfield and Foxborough, Massachusetts from 1953 to 1993. Operations released dioxins, furans, phenols, arsenic, chromium, copper, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other chemicals into soil, groundwater, sediment, and the nearby Rumford River, affecting fisheries, wetlands, and private wells. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2002 and selected a cleanup plan in September 2005.

The site contains over 100 hazardous substances. Key contaminants include metals such as arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury; volatile organic compounds like trichloroethene and vinyl chloride; pesticides including aldrin and endrin; PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene; and pentachlorophenol found across soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment.

Cleanup construction ran from 2009 through 2011. Workers excavated roughly 43,500 tons of contaminated soil and shipped it to a hazardous waste landfill. About 2 acres in Foxborough with arsenic above cleanup thresholds were consolidated in place and covered with asphalt. The project received approximately $20 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which helped speed the work. EPA deleted the site from the NPL on February 16, 2018, after determining all appropriate cleanup had been completed.

Institutional controls called Notices of Activity and Use Limitations (NAULs) restrict land use, prohibit use of on-site groundwater, and prevent damage to cleanup components. Zoning rules block residential and other incompatible uses. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) samples groundwater every six months and checks surface water and sediment at least every five years. EPA has concluded that human exposure is under control and groundwater migration is stabilized. EPA completed its third Five-Year Review in September 2024, confirming the remedy remains protective. Five-year reviews continue even after deletion to make sure protections hold.

The site has found new uses. A 119-space commuter parking lot in Foxborough offers free shuttle service to the Mansfield commuter rail station. The Town of Mansfield uses parts of the site north of the railroad tracks for emergency vehicle storage and office space. Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Public records are available at the Mansfield Public Library at 255 Hope Street and the EPA Region 1 Records and Information Center in Boston, as well as online at www.epa.gov/superfund/hatheway.