This former auto salvage facility and saw mill was first used for industrial processes in the mid to late 1800's. The site is located on the eastern bank of the Penobscot River and is surrounded by a former landfill, oil pipelines, a former tannery, and gasoline service stations. Lead from recycled auto batteries impacted the surficial soils and sediments in the Penobscot River. The surficial lead-impacted soil serves as the primary environmental threat to human health and the lead impacted sediments pose a risk to aquatic life and the environment.
The earliest known historical use of the Rolnick property was the Dirigo Saw Mill in 1865. In 1895, Charles Stanford owned and operated an automobile dealership at the property. In 1914, a portion of the property was leased to Louis Rolnick to use as an automobile junkyard. Louis Rolnick purchased the property in 1929 and continued business as an auto salvage facility until 1983.
Another portion of the property was leased to Albert Cowan in 1933 to be used for an Amoco gasoline station. The gasoline station was relocated across South Main Street in 1946. The current property owner has had his redemption business at the property since 1984.
Surrounding properties that were identified as having potential impacts to the Rolnick property included nearby gasoline stations, historical underground fuel lines in South Main Street, and a former landfill adjacent to the northern property boundary.
Objective:
Campbell Environmental Group prepared Phase I and Phase II ESAs for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection under the Brownfields Grant for the State of Maine at the Rolnick property. As a result of the Phase I ESA, two areas of concern were identified, a variety of potential contaminants of concern were identified, and several potential offsite sources of contaminants that could impact the property were identified. The purpose of the Phase II ESA was to determine the lateral and vertical extent of lead impacted soil due to the improper disposal of car batteries during the use of the property as an auto salvage facility from 1914 to 1983.
The investigations were also designed to identify potential contaminants of concern that were associated with other historical uses at the property including a former gasoline station as well as offsite sources that had impacted the soil and/or groundwater quality on the Rolnick property. Sensitive receptors were identified as water quality and aquatic life in the Penobscot River located adjacent to the site along the western property boundary, the unrestricted use of groundwater for a drinking water source , and the direct human contact to elevated lead concentrations within 6 inches of the existing grade.
The Phase II techniques consisted of utilizing geophysical methods for investigating underground structures, completing 29 test pits throughout the site to determine the vertical and lateral extent of lead impacted soil and battery casings, installing four monitoring wells for groundwater sample collection, analyzing select soil samples for contaminants of concern, and collecting groundwater samples using low-flow methods. A Phase II ESA report was prepared that analyzed all of the data.
