Site Assessment and Remediation

Home to a 19th century granite textile mill built at the outfall of the Lamprey River into New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary, from 1823 to 1929 cotton and silk weaving were conducted at this site. During the late 1800s the mill utilized its own gasworks to light the factory and enable round-the-clock shifts during the Civil War.

At the turn of the century, the Newmarket Manufacturing Company was one of the largest textile mills in America. It is believed the gas works stopped operating when the textile mill closed in the late 1920s.

After 1929 the mill was used for a variety of purposes including a shoe manufacturer, a brewery, and the manufacturer of electrical wire and insulators.

All that remained of the gasworks was the buried base of the former gasholder. The former manufactured gas plant (MGP) was contaminated with petroleum and coal tars from multiple sources. GEI was retained by the former owners to investigate, plan and remove the gasholder and any residual impacts. All work was conducted under a turnkey agreement.

The most noteworthy aspect of the project was the timing. All investigation, planning, design, bid specifications, approvals and construction were conducted in a little over four months.

Cooperation among the town, United Technologies Corporation (former site owner), the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, the developer, and the environmental engineers has been praised by U.S. Senator Bob Smith. The project serves as an example of effective reuse of a former industrial plant under Federal and New Hampshire Brownfields initiatives.