Environmental officials this week released final plans for the cleanup of industrial solvents seeping from a former oil drum disposal site in West Kingston [a.k.a. WEST KINGSTON TOWN DUMP/URI DISPOSAL AREA].

The state Department of Environmental Management and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released the so-called record of decision [PDF, 1.5MB] regarding the cleanup of the West Kingston dumpsite on Tuesday. The voluminous document chronicles the site's history and the steps leading to the remediation effort.

The 17.4-acre former town dump east of Plains Road and adisposal area of about 17 acres at the University of Rhode Island were placed on the EPA's high-priority cleanup list in 1992.

The agencies agreed to cap portions of the former dumpsite, but were unable to trace the source of ground-water pollutants until last summer, according to the DEM.

Environmental officials determined the solvents -- tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene -- had leaked from a dozen rusted drums, apparently containing roofing tar, and seeped into the ground water. A plume extends about 2,500 feet from the drum area toward Hundred Acre Pond, traveling in a northwesterly direction along the bedrock, the decision states.