AT ISSUE. Kidder Point's shore received thousands of tons of highly toxic acid and heavy metal rich waste slurries between 1940 and 1970, laid down as fill material behind wooden cribs . Broadening and elevating the surface of the 5 acre peninsula (Kidder Point) that the abandoned acid factory is perched on. The cribs weren't maintained after 1970 when shoreline dumping was banned under the federal Clean Water Act. Some of them have failed: See Here and Here and Here
Showing posts with label Kidder Point. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kidder Point. Show all posts
Sep 25, 2025
Aug 10, 2025
Kidder Point GAC, Delta and Northern Chemical
Two acid sources for the plumes (1) leaked sulfuric acid from 30 years of sulfuric acid making, (2) more than sixty officially reported sulfuric acid spills at the site beween 1983 and 2004, alone.
Feb 28, 2025
BDN March 31, 1944 Kidder Point's Wooden Factory Buildings of the 1940s Sulfuric acid and superphosphate fertilizer
Sulfuric Acid Plant
duction units of the Leonard-Monsanto Design. The older plant was constructed in 1944 with a design capacity of 60 T/D. The newer plant was constructed in 1956 with a design capacity of 100 T/D.
Most of the processing equipment is housed in a 5,000 sq. ft. building of steel, brick, and transite construction. The building is in fair shape.
The condition of the process equipiment ranges from bad to good. Some fumes (leaks) are noticeable and catwalks should be replaced. Unused equipment lies scattered around and the structural steel needs paint.
The absorbing Tower in the older plant has a bottom leak. Repairing this tower is mandatory on the next shutdown, and this is a sizable job.
The new plant was constructed to facilitate the manufacture of superphosphate, an agricultural fertilizer component at the Summers Fertilizer Company. Searsport. But the capacity of the processing machinery exceeds the needs of the fertilizer plant and substantial amounts of the chemical will be available for use in other branches of Industry.
Both plants which are now in full production were constructed by TW Cunningham Incorporated Bangor in record time.
They were designed by Eaton W Tarbell & Associates of the Cunningham Engineering staff and are the only industrial buildings in the world designed and made of glued laminated wood arch construction. They represent a departure from this type of building and are considered to be of the highest type of workmanship providing large unobstructed areas for handling bulk material.
They represent a triumph in engineering skill and genius, and are a tribute to the men who participated in their building.
"The use of plywood in all of its various forms has a bright future. We ourselves in the construction of this new plant utilized plywood arches with a diameter of 100 feet, made of 42 plies of one inch by seven inch boards bound together with a new type of permanent glue, in the the manufacture of which chemicals played a vital part.
Jan 8, 2025
Kidder Point industrial and commercial media coverage 1905 -1976
* 1905 Boston Maine Steamship Co wharf being built on Kidder Pt (column 3)
* 1906 Report on Kidder Point by Maine Bureau of Industry and labor
* 1914 ME Railroad Board Annual Rpt on Kidder Pt Electric Plant 1914
* 1914 BAR RR closes Kidder Point power plant for Mack Point 2/29/1914
* 1928 Knell sounded for Stockton Harbor
* 1943 Fire at Summers Fertilizer 5/1/43
* 1944 Price ceiling set on wartime Searsport superphosphate production 5/11/44
* 1952 Summers Fertilizer - Tour of superphosphate works 5/22/52
* 1956 Summers Fertilizer leader Totman gets award 10/26/56
* 1971 Summers Fertilizer leader's portrait presented to U Maine 4/21/71
* 1974 Submerged power cables plan between Kidder Pt & Sears Isld 12/23/74
* 1976 Delta Chemical gasses Searsport, causes Fernview shipwreck
Aug 5, 2024
Bay History. Northern Chemical site at Kidder Point examined in 1965 by consultants re a Superfund court case in Massachusetts
Chemical company Grace Brothers was part owner of Northern Chemical site at Kidder Point. The report below describes in detail the industrial processes active there in the late 1960s. It was submitted to court in a Superfund case in Massachusetts. That case was later dramatrized in the feature movie "A Civil Action".
Information Request Response by W.R. Grace & Co,
Appendix 3. Plant Description for Northern Chemical, Searsport
Complete document 75 pages (pdf) (Pages 58 to 75: Maps & Diagrams)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page# and Title
1. Location
1. Place
2. Community
3. Communications: land, water, telephone, telegraph
4. Climate
4. Topography
4. PLANT SITE
4. Boundaries
4. Map
5. Plot Plan
5. PRODUCTS & RAW MATERIALS
5. History
5. Products
6. Raw Materials
6. Block Flow Diagram
6. Performance
8. Table 1 NCI Annual Production 1962-1963 1963-1964 1964-1965
9. Manufacturing Facilities
9. Normal Superphosphate Plant
9. Sulfuric Acid Plant
10. Ammonium Sulfate Plant
11. Alum Plant
11. Ammonia Plant
12. Nitric Acid Plant
13. Ammonium Nitrate and Solutions Plant
13. UTILITY FACILITIES
13 Power Generation
13 City Water
13. Salt Water
14. Purchased Power
14. Natural Gas
14. Fuel Oil
14 OFFSITE FACILITIES
14. Offices
15. Fences
15. Roads
16. Dock
16. Laboratories
16. Railroad Spurs & Rolling Stock
17. Employee Change House
17. Parking Area
17.Yard Lighting
17. Safety and Fire Equipment
18 .Stores
18. Maintenances Shops
19. Warehouse
19. Portable Tools and Vehicles21. PROCESS DESCRIPTIONS
21. Sulfuric Acid
24. Normal Superphosphate
29. Ammonium Sulfate
32. Alum
36. Ammonia
42. Nitric Acid
46. Ammonium Nitrate
51 Utilities (bottom of page)
55. AMMONIA STORAGE
58 DIAGRAMS
58 FIG 1 Location Map NCI Plant
59 FIG 2 Property Plan NCI Plant
60 FIG 3 Plot Plan NCI Plant
61 FIG 4 Block Flow Diagram
62 FIG 5 Simple Flow diagram. NCI sulfuric acid plants
63 FIG 6 Simple Flow Diagram NCI Superphosphate Plant
64 FIG 7 Simple Flow Diagram Ammonium Sulfate Plant
65 FIG 8 Simple Flow Diagram NCI Alum Plant
66 FIG 9 Simple Flow Diagram Syn Gas Prep, Ammonia plant
67 FIG 10 Simple flow Diagram Syn gas puriufication
68 FIG 11 Simple Flow Diagram, compression, synthesis & storage
69 FIG 12 Simple Flow Diagram NCI Nitric Acid Plant
70 FIGURE 13 Simple Flow Diagram Ammonium Nitrate Plant
71 FIG 14 Simple Flow Diagram NCI Solutions Plant
72 FIG 15 Simple Flow Diagram Power Distribution
73 FIG 16 Steam Distribution NCI Plant
74 FIG 17 Water Distribution NCI Plant
75 FIG 18 10,000 ton Ammonia Terminal
END OF DOCUMENT
Jun 3, 2023
1998 video investigation of Stockton Harbor's Kidder Point waste & pollution sites. Index
My 1998 video investigation & subsequent partial cleanup of Stockton Harbor's Kidder Point waste & pollution sites. Index and video
Download this video 2hrs, 20minutes long https://penbay.org/baytowns/searsport/gac_1998/gac_1998_a_022098_waste_erosion_b_040798_cleanup.avi (may take 45 mins to download)
PART 1. 52min 32sec February 20 1998 investigation of wastefilled shore and intertidal mud 55 Minutes Penobscot Bay Watch site investigation. Will Neils, videographer. NOTE: Part 1 starts after 53 seconds of blank
PART 2 1hr 20min April 7m, 1998 We discover waste problems in an outfall and a nearby seawater intake out take pipeline bldg. DEP orders Clean Harbors to clean it up We witness that and chat wiith various officials
PART 1
START AT 53 sec Driving to Searsport
55sec Panorama show of Stockton Harbor - no condos on Cape Jellison.
2:18 More panoramas of the facility One notes the larg and aged wooden quonset structures
2:52 Closer in to old acid and superphosphate plant
4:00 Layered filled area near base of point on east side. Notes how far along bank the wooden fill corrals extend (all the way to in front of the acid plant)
4:55 closer up up water dripping against exposed fill
5:50 Closeup of another nearby dripping waste slump.
6:50 Eroding slope below the acid plant itself.
7:32 Slope
8:11 osprey...Flats at the tip of the point. Old wooden superphosphate plant quonset
9:41 outfall piles
10:17 view to abandoned pumphouse outfall & oily sump. Aerial photos of illegal discharge
11:33 closeup of old superphosphate wooden plant. Elevated insulated pipelines from offshore point
12:30 Wooden chimney structure. Scan of the wooden structure then to shore below with artificial filled shoreline13:22 Closeup eroding pipeline to old pumphouse, then filled shoreline from there to cistern full of oily waste. We go and examine it.
14:01 Cistern waterfilled. See top of outfall pipe into the cistern. Probe cistern catch basin: full of oily goo.
15:53 Old electric junk including transformer View out to rail line with landfill beyond track Scan around back of existing working plant and to old superphosphate plant
17:00 scan superphosphate plant
17:20 Approach old pumphouse
17:55 Down stairs to floor with hatches to bay Examine hatches and outfall pipes
19:19 Examine oil spigot allowing oil to be discharged into bay .
20:51 Climb out of pumphouse
21:46. Examine a test well near abandoned superphosphate plant
22:51 Observe gust of black smoke from a facility
23: 10 View from the GAC landfill
24:13 View from top of landfill
25:44 Sulfuric acid tank warnings
26:25 Railside acid warnings. walk toward acid plant and superphosphate plant.
PART 2 March 5. TIDAL FLATS adjacent to Kidder's Point
27:55 March 5th GAC tidal flats exploration
28:07 Herb Hoche digs test squares, Dead clams
29:03 Ron discusses clam mystery with Stockton Harbor background
30:29 Herb Hoche digs another site
32:45 Another dig
35:18 Another dig
38:35 Another sample "much closer to the plant"
39:44 Hoche discovers buried tarpaper from roof of old wooden factory
43:37 Another dig. 4527 "Our braintrust goes to work." observes Will Neils.
45:54 Another dig 4944 note dig is in flow of waste
50:21 Examining discolored mud, with flocculants on top. Hoche digs, reveals multicolored layers of intertidal mud. The adjoining shore where a broad reddish band of leachate is seeping along a layer of clay downslope to upwell there where the intertidal gravel and sand meet the mudflats .. Hoche dabs the flocculants at several places along the red leachate
52:40 Hoche clamdigging in the discolored area Red layer, then an alum silver layer. then another red Examine the mud there for signs of life; none.
54:05 Closeup of contaminated mud
54:20 Camera investigates the land adjacent to the acid plant
54:53 Top of ditch running tainted water to the har4bor
Part 3
56:24 At the old pumphouse again. The Cleanup crew is there at work on cistern
58:28 Ron sums up situation
59:40 Hoche examines seaweed in driftwood
60:03 Cleanup workers. Viewed from the beach - private property rights. Pans down to brook adjacent to site. Herb Hoche rinses hands in the stream.
63:00 DEP staffer Clarissa Trasko brings straw to below cistern Goes uphill returns below discusses plan The big suction hose. more A DEP oilspill guy shows up we chat a bit.
71:30 Ron chats with DEP official Clarissa Trasko at base of cistern.
76:00 2 Coast Guardsmen arrive discusses issue with Ron Huber He thanks them for convincing the company to clean this up talk ends at 83min
83:00 Suction hose underway
87:00 Officials congregate to watch from front of cistern
88:00 Suction starts up again.
88:38 Surface water removed by suction revealing the massive amount of oily goo there.
1:29:50 cleanup guy gets suited up.
1:31 cleanup guy continues
1:32 test samples collected, snuck away by company official
1:33 View into cistern
1:35:45 View of cistern with cleaner guy inside
1:36 See outfall choked with waste
1:36:50 Guy in protective suit in front end of cistern
1:42:10 See old junk boards that were burried in the muck. he scrapes muck off them
1:47 Protective suited guy climbs out. A lengthy cleaning process forhis suit removal finally removes his bootcovers, bags it all up and leaves
1:53 Inside of outfall half full
1:54 Huber reviews the situation
PART 4
1:55:13 BACK TO PUMPHOUSE
1:56 Funky water alongside rail line.
1:58:40 along rail line
2:00 Return to cleaned up cistern new wooden front, sheeny water...
2:02 Huber grabs muck sample
2:03:55 brook that goes to bay near the cistern b probed with a stick
2:04:40 Approach pumphouse
2:05:30 Oil dump barrel is gone. Floor cleaned up. The oily glove still there.
2:08 Old lagoon alongside rail line
2:09 Panorama shot
2:11 Clean Harbors pumptruck.
2:11:51 Steam cranes at Searsport. Clean Harbors is there, too
END
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)