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Welcome to the Cattail Press
The content of The Cattail Press reflects my interests in the history and daily life in my home town, Corinna, Maine. Unless marked, the photos on the site are mine. The Cattail Press is a private web site, not a public forum. I reserve the right to control all content.
Background Information
Corinna, located in central Maine, USA, has a population of about 2100 people. The area has beautiful country side, rolling hills, farms lands and forests.
The Eastland Woolen Mill was the largest employer in the town for many years. However, in 1996 the mill went through bankruptcy and closed. The building, which extended the entire length of Main Street, was abandoned.
During the 1960's the mill used a wool dye enhancement product that contained chlorobenzene compounds. At that time, waste chemicals from the dye vats were dumped directly into the river under the mill. It turns out that some of the chlorobenzene, which is heavier than water, sank to the bottom of the river and into the soil. Eventually the groundwater in the area became severely contaminated. Some contaminants also ran downstream and were deposited in river sediments and on flood plains.
In 1999 the United States Environmental Protection Agency placed the mill site on the Superfund List. The cleanup will take many years and cost more than $40 million.
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