Troy Mills Inc. went into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2003, and its landfill on Rockwood Brook was added to the National Priorities List on September 29, 2003. The landfill is about 1.5 miles from the center of Troy, situated off a former rail line (now a trail) on a 270-acre property. Troy Mills used 11-acres of the property as an industrial waste disposal area from 1967 to 2001. Between 1967 and 1978 two acres of the 11-acre landfill were used for disposal of drums of liquid waste and sludge containing Varsol, vinyl resins, plasticizers, pigments, top-coating products and industrial organic solvents. After 1978, the remaining nine acres were used to dispose of waste fabric scraps and other solid waste from the company's manufacturing complex.
During 2004 and 2005 the US Environmental Protection Agency removed 7,687 buried drums containing almost 30,000 gallons of flammable liquid waste and more than 3,000 cubic yards of other wastes. 26,000 tons of contaminated soils were also removed, and all materials were safely disposed off-site. EPA re-graded the site, placed clean fill, and seeded it. It was determined that the permeable soil cap over the former drum disposal area would be protective of human health and the environment provided that with restrictions on groundwater and property use were maintained. The record of decision (ROD), signed in September 2005, requires long-term environmental monitoring, maintenance of the residual floating groundwater contamination interceptor trenches and Landfill cap and establishment of property use restrictions.
Since October 2006, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) has been implementing the ROD under a Cooperative Agreement with EPA.
The town elected not to accept ownership of the property from the bankruptcy court, and future ownership is uncertain. The bankruptcy trustee has granted DES a permanent easement both to access the 270 acre property and to restrict activities and uses in the vicinity of the former disposal site and the groundwater management zone. The easement is on record at the Cheshire County Registrar of Deeds.
The first Five Year Review was completed in September 2010. Recommendations included, consider fencing the former drum disposal area to restrict access to all terrain vehicles. Conduct a supplemental investigation of the residual LNAPL source area and further evaluate effectiveness of the LNAPL trenches in capturing remaining LNAPL. Perform a supplemental hydrogeologic study to confirm the effectiveness of the MNA management of migration remedy at the site and to better forecast time to cleanup. Review existing data to evaluate potential ecological risk within the ground water—surface water transition zone.
In 2011 the investigation of the residual LNAPL source area was initiated by completing a Laser Induced Fluorescence LNAPL investigation.
Periodic monitoring of the ground water and surface water continues under DES supervision.