pownal tannery

ROUTE 346

The Pownal Tannery site is located between Route 346 and the Hoosic River in the Village of North Pownal, in Bennington County, Vermont. The site was a former hide tanning and finishing facility owned by the Pownal Tanning Company, Inc.. It has been inactive since 1988 when the company declared bankruptcy. The site consists of three contamination sources: the tannery building complex, a lagoon system, and the tannery's sludge landfill. In total, the Pownal Tannery site encompasses approximately 28 acres. From approximately 1937 until 1962, untreated tanning process wastewater was directly discharged into the Hoosic River. A lagoon system comprising six lagoons, was constructed in several stages between 1962 and 1971 to receive the tannery's wastewater. In 1982, a state permitted lined landfill was constructed on site which received sludge dredged from a portion of the lagoons. The tannery landfill is situated on a parcel of land across from the Hoosic River and southwest of the tannery building complex. In 1987, two-thirds of the landfill was covered and closed. The remaining portion remained uncovered until 2001. The area is a rural and residential community with approximately 3,500 residents. The nearest residences are approximately 200 feet from the site and rely upon groundwater from private wells for their water supply. While some site related contaminants have been detected in residential wells in the past, current sampling data indicates that safe drinking water standards are not being exceeded.

Hazardous Ranking Score

50 / 100

A score of 28.5 or higher qualifies a site for the Superfund National Priority List.

Regional Contact

Region 1
Phone: (888) 372-7341
Fax: (617) 918-0101

Outside New England:
(617) 918-1111

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Timeline

Discovery
Site Inspection
Preliminary Assessment
Final Listing On NPL
Removal

Contaminants & Health Effects

      Carcinogen
      Endocrine Disrupter
      Neurotoxic
      Sensitiser
      Reproductive Toxin
      Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic
      VOC
      Mutagen

        Census

        White
        African American
        Asian
        American Indian and Alaska Native
        Native Hawaiian
        Other

        360

        People living
        within a 1 mile radius

        $64,012

        Average Income

        132

        Occupied homes

        Potentially Responsible Parties

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