Legal Notice

Legal Notice Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup, One Winter Street, 3rd floor, Boston, MA. Public Notice of MassDEP Corrective Action Proposed Remedy Decision in accordance with the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of the United States Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Massachusetts General Law Chapter 21E (MGL 21E). Facility Name and Location: Former Ball Plant I, 4 Slocum Street, Acushnet, Massachusetts (the Property). United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Facility I.D. # MAD001025170. MassDEP Release Tracking Number (RTN): 4-20842. The Acushnet Company or its predecessors had conducted manufacturing operations at the Property commencing in (approximately) 1910, primarily using the facility to manufacture golf balls starting in 1932. Active golf ball manufacturing operations at the Site ceased in 2004. A release of oil and/or hazardous material (OHM) was discovered at the Site during due diligence activities in association with the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), volatile and extractable petroleum hydrocarbons (VPH/EPH), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals (e.g., lead, and zinc) were detected in soil at concentrations above the applicable reportable concentrations for soil and lead and zinc in groundwater above the applicable reportable concentrations for groundwater. MassDEP was notified of the reporting condition on October 16, 2007, and the release was issued RTN 4-20842. Because the former BPI facility had filed a Part A permit application in the early 1980's (i.e., a "protective filing" which was subsequently withdrawn), the Site fell under USEPA regulatory authority to ensure RCRA wastes were managed properly to protect human health and the environment. Woodard & Curran performed a supplemental investigation and an updated risk characterization that was submitted in June 2023. Based on the finding of the risk characterization, remedial activities are warranted. On December 30, 2024, Woodard & Curran, Inc. submitted a Phase III Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and Phase IV Remedy Implementation Plan (RIP) to MassDEP for the Former Ball Plant I. The cleanup activities are expected to begin in December 2025. Proposed: The proposed final remedy for the Former Ball Plant I property includes the excavation, soil stabilization/mixing, and disposal of soil containing the primary risk drivers identified at the Site, including lead, zinc and/or VPH constituents above Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs) in the southern portion of the Site followed by subsequent site restoration. Upon completion of remedy, a Phase IV Completion Statement and Final Inspection Report will be prepared documenting the fulfillment of the Comprehensive Response Action (CRA). USEPA and MassDEP invites the public to comment on the Corrective Action Remedy Decision proposed by Acushnet Company for the former Ball Plant I. A Fact Sheet describing Corrective Action and any other supporting documentations are available by contacting Miranda Fernandez at Fernandez.Miranda@epa.gov at USEPA Region 1 Office or Rose Knox at Rosemary.Knox@mass.gov at MassDEP's Boston office. The public has thirty (30) days to comment on the proposed remedy decision. Any member of the public may file written comments on the draft decision during the public comment period, which ends at 5 p.m. on December 16, 2025. Comments should be submitted to: USEPA Region 1 Office located at 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 Boston, Massachusetts Attn: Miranda Fernandez or Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Attn: Rose Knox. USEPA and/or MassDEP may schedule a public hearing on the Proposed Corrective Action Remedy Decision if, during the comment period or within 15 days of the close of the comment period, the USEPA or MassDEP determines that there is significant public interest in the Proposed Corrective Action Remedy Decision. USEPA and MassDEP will consider all written comments received during the comment period and all verbal comments received at a public hearing, if held. A notice of the final decision will be sent to Kevin Kelly at the Acushnet Company and to each person who has submitted written comments or has otherwise requested notice of the final decision. A final decision will become effective twenty-one (21) days after the date of the notice of the decision. The final decision will be postponed if a request for an adjudicatory hearing before USEPA and/or MassDEP is made within the twenty-one (21) day period. For additional information, contact Miranda Fernandez at the USEPA Region 1 office at 617-918-1180 or Rose Knox at the MassDEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup office at 781-742-8469. November 16 2025 LNEO0404568