Background
The
Fossa Ave VI Site is located at 9-11 Fossa Avenue in Nashua, New Hampshire. The
Site is .7 acres consisting of two multi-unit townhouse buildings and two
multi-unit storage sheds owned by the Nashua Housing Authority (NHA). Adjacent
properties include residential properties to the North, South, and East and
Salmon Brook to the West.
The
Site was undeveloped prior to 1912. G.F. Fossa Steam Laundry operated from the
1940s to the mid-1970s. It was vacant from the mid-1970s to 1980, and the
existing multi-unit residential townhouse buildings were constructed in 1981.
During
an assessment near the Site by an engineering consulting firm in 2012,
chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) were detected in the groundwater
at concentrations exceeding their respective NHDES groundwater quality
standards. The CVOCs detected were typically associated with dry cleaning
solvents and their breakdown products. The firm concluded that the source of
the CVOCs was from an off-site source, namely the former laundry business
located on the property.
What
has been done to clean up the site?
Site
investigations and air sampling have been conducted on-site since 2016 by the
NHA and New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). A vapor
mitigation system – a structure or mechanism designed to prevent harmful vapors
(CVOCs) from entering a building - was installed at 9 Fossa Avenue in 2023.
EPA
conducted a preliminary assessment/site investigation (PA/SI) in January and
July 2024. A contaminant called Perchloroethylene (PCE) was identified in soil
gas at the Site above EPA’s vapor intrusion screening levels.
EPA
signed an Action Memorandum on December 4, 2024, to install a vapor mitigation
system at 11 Fossa Avenue. Work was completed on September 3, 2025.
What
is the current site status?
The
official demobilization date for the Foss Avenue IV Site was July 30, 2025. No
future action is anticipated.
The
Administrative Record is available for review at:
Or
by scanning this QR code.
Locations
to access this online administrative record include:
- U.S.
EPA SEMS Records and Information Center, 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100,
Boston, MA, 02109-3912, (617) 918-1440, by appointment.
- Nashua
Public Library, 2 Court St, Nashua, NH 03060
