Cache is not at the posted coordinates nor is it anywhere on Shpack Hill. Unless youre interested in old garbage or a desire to glow in the dark, its not a place youd want to go.
Shpack Landfill is part of the darker history of the towns of Norton and Attleboro, the jewlery production in the area, and the mishandling of radioactive waste. The original idea was small, harmless, and with a decent purpose. Unfortunately everything spiraled out of control and created one of the most notable superfund sites in the state. This puzzle cache is all about the history of this area. After learning some history, you will have the information you need to solve this cache.
N 41 AB.CDE W 071 FG.HIJ
The Shpack landfill was situated on land owned by Isadore and Lea Shpack. Isadore Shpack, a Russian Jewish immigrant and retired New York City municipal employee, began allowing dumping on the property in an effort to fill in its swamp. He then planned to raise an orchard and cultivate vegetables on the reclaimed land. The site was operated as a dump accepting domestic and industrial wastes, including low-level radioactive waste, between 194(B)__(B) and 196(A)__(A). The most of the radioactive waste consisted of uranium and radium. Shpack allowed completely unregulated dumping and is reported locally to have accepted any type of waste which was refused by the neighbouring municipal landfill.
In 1978 John Sullivan, a 2(H)__(H)-year-old local resident and college student, became curious about why snails in the area were losing their shells. He visited the Shpack site with a Geiger counter which detected a high level of radiation emissions.Initially "ridiculed" about his claim of discovering radioactivity at the dump, Sullivan contacted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) which then carried out its own investigation and confirmed the presence of radioactivity. Further surveys of the site uncovered extensive contamination with chemical wastes which had been dumped "in both bulk and containerized forms." The metal drums which originally contained the wastes had been emptied, burned and left on the surface of the site.
In 1980 the Department Of Energy conducted an emergency cleanup of the site and removed approximately (D)__(D)00 lb of radioactive waste. In 198(C)__(C) the site was listed as a Superfund site by the EPA. Further studies of the site were carried out during 1992-199(I)__(I)although no remediation action took place. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over the FUSRAP program in 1998, and performed "fieldwork" to prepare for a radiological survey into 2002. In 200(G)__(G) the EPA put forward a cleanup plan, and remediation eventually commenced in August 2005. However operations ceased in July 2006 due to lack of funds. On August (F)__(F)5, 2006 the EPA issued special notice letters to fourteen Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP). In 2009, fourteen parties signed a consent decree to be responsible for funding the remainder of the cleanup at an estimated cost of $(J)__(J)9 million. After almost a decade of clean-up efforts, the site was officially removed from the superfund list on September 5, 20(E)__(E)7.
The final is hidden on nearby Norton LPS land. No need to bushwhack or to stray too far. Can be accessed from the woods and NOT the nearby empty lot. Once you solved the cache, use the parking waypoint for the easiest parking closest to the cache. All answers can be found online prior to your visit. Please rehid cache well so its not accidentally discovered. Use the certitude link below for additional hints for the cache hide.
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
Congrats to ritell for FTF!!!