Abstract |
The Davis Liquid Waste site is located in a rural section of the Town of Smithfield, Providence County, Rhode Island. The 15-acre site, bounded on the north and south by wetlands and swamp areas, is within one-half mile of 38 homes. Throughout the 1970s, the site served as a disposal location for various hazardous liquid and chemical wastes including: paint and metal sludge; oily wastes; solvents; acids; caustics; pesticides; phenols; halogens; metals; fly ash; and, laboratory pharmaceuticals. Liquid wastes were accepted at the site in drums and bulk tank trucks and were dumped directly into unlined lagoons and seepage pits. The dumping has resulted in soil, surface and ground water contamination that still persists. Periodically the semi-solid lagoon materials were excavated and dumped in several onsite locations and covered with available site soil. Other site operations included the collection of junked vehicles, machine parts, metal recycling and tire shredding. In 1977 the discovery of offsite well contamination prompted the State Superior Court to prohibit dumping of hazardous substances on the Davis property. |