Guilford Site Data

Hello! Thank you for visiting. We put this website together to provide the Guilford community with information about recent activities at the former textile manufacturing facility. We understand community members may have questions about environmental assessments and potential remediation actions surrounding the Duvaltex, Inc. site, and we want to make sure your questions are answered.

First—here’s a summary of recent events, so you have the background:

In 2024, environmental assessments were conducted at the Guilford site as part of a potential real estate transaction. This type of environmental due diligence is standard with any prospective purchase of buildings and land.

Analytical results of the assessments showed concentrations of volatile organic compounds, including trichlorethylene (TCE), which is an industrial cleaning solvent historically used in manufacturing facilities in the United States. Its primary purpose was for cleaning metal parts in factories, mills, and other industrial facilities Its use for those purposes was largely discontinued in the late 1970s. TCE has never been used at the Guilford facility since its purchase by Duvaltex in 2016. We don’t have specific records of TCE use by former owner True Textiles, Inc. or others before them, but the use of TCE would have been phased out in accordance with Federal laws. This solvent has been detected at many of Maine’s former industrial sites, and in most cases where the levels posed potential risk exposure, these types of substances were successfully addressed through extraction or treatment efforts by scientific experts who specialize in the reduction of environmental risks.

We took prompt action:

Evaluation & Testing

As soon as irregular levels of volatile organic compounds were detected in certain spots at the Guilford facility, Duvaltex retained appropriate environmental professionals to evaluate the situation, contacted Maine Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP), and soon began even more extensive testing in a greater area to get a complete picture of the situation.

Comprehensive Action Plan

A comprehensive action plan was designed and implemented in collaboration with Maine DEP and Sevee and Maher Engineers (SME), a third-party environmental engineering firm that has led successful remediation efforts in other Maine cities and towns with large former manufacturing facilities.

Prompt Community Outreach & Testing

In coordination with Maine DEP, Duvaltex and SME made prompt contact with local neighbors of the site, and conducted multiple phases of testing, including sub-slab testing of property foundations and air-quality testing within residences.

Guided by Maine DEP

We continue to work collaboratively with Maine DEP, which is providing guidance and overseeing the efforts of Duvaltex.

Here’s a summary of testing results and remediation measures:

Three properties in close proximity to the Guilford textile mill showed elevated levels of TCE. The exact levels of TCE found in any environment is a very important tool to determine the appropriate response—decades of scientific and health and safety studies have gone into establishing what are called “thresholds.” These thresholds are established by state and federal regulators. An “actionable threshold” is a level that, once exceeded, has been determined to pose potential risks to human health and the environment. None of the three properties in Guilford that showed detection of TCE were close to an actionable threshold that would require measures beyond installation of a preventative vapor mitigation system.

We take the presence of any TCE very seriously, and customized vapor mitigation systems were designed and installed at each property (similar to the typical radon mitigation systems routinely installed in thousands of Maine homes). We have continued monitoring each property to determine the effectiveness of the ventilation systems and have taken steps to ensure that each is functioning properly.

What are the next steps?

Other properties in the proximity of the Guilford facility showed no detection of TCE during multiple phases of testing. When we look at the location of all properties tested, it’s only those residential properties nearest to the facility that were impacted. The extensive testing conducted by third-party engineers in collaboration with Maine DEP shows that the TCE found at the site is limited in area and poses no risk to the peripheral neighborhoods or the community of Guilford. Maine DEP has determined that there is no further need for screening beyond the boundary where properties showed “no detection.”

FAQs

When Duvaltex acquired this property from True Textiles, Inc. in 2016, environmental assessments were conducted as part of the real estate transaction. Some volatile organic compounds were determined to be present then, and the company worked with Maine DEP as part of the state’s Voluntary Response Action Program (VRAP) to responsibly assess and address the substances found. It was determined that the levels of volatile organic compounds at the Guilford site were not harmful, and not uncommon at former industrial and manufacturing facilities. Maine DEP issued a “No Further Action Assurance” letter to Duvaltex and we completed our acquisition of the property. Duvaltex has not used TCE or hazardous substances since taking ownership of this property, and we’ve had no reason to believe there were any environmental concerns, until new assessments were conducted in 2024 as part of a new prospective real estate transaction involving the possible sale of the downtown Guilford property and dam.

Like many volatile organic compounds, TCE is a substance highly regulated by Federal and State agencies and, depending upon the concentration, may pose risks to human health and the environment. This is why close monitoring of levels and thresholds is so important. Prior to the increased environmental regulations in the 1970s, TCE was a very common industrial cleaning solvent used at mills and factories across the United States. Since the detection of TCE can be a cause for concern, that’s why we took immediate action in Guilford. After the multiple phases of testing we’ve conducted, and the effectiveness of the remediation systems we’ve installed in adjacent properties, we are confident that there is no current threat to human health in Guilford. We are committed to continue monitoring the situation and providing transparency to the local community.