Former Lincoln Pulp and Tissue Mill: Brownfields Cleanups

Beginning in 2022, SME’s project team provided qualified environmental services for the U.S.EPA Brownfields-funded cleanups of the Tissue Machine Building, Paper Mill (east portion) and the Scale Shack at the former Lincoln Pulp & Tissue Mill (LP&T Mill) site in Lincoln, Maine. SME’s project team worked collaboratively with the Town of Lincoln and regulators to design, permit, and implement the Asbestos Consolidation Area as an environmentally protective and cost-effective on-site solution for managing asbestos waste during demolition and cleanup of the former LP&T Mill site.

Challenges
Brownfields-funded cleanups at the LP&T Mill site faced several technical and logistical challenges, including the deteriorated condition of the buildings due to prior scrapping operations, which left large openings in the structure.

Project Outcome and Value Added
SME’s knowledge and experience with Brownfields-funded cleanup projects successfully eliminated environmental and health risks associated with hazardous building materials at these buildings, clearing the way for future redevelopment. The Project supported regulatory framework, engineering considerations, and stakeholder coordination required to develop the ACM Consolidation Area and manage the Brownfields Cleanup of vacant and deteriorating buildings at the LP&T Mill site.

SME’s project team demonstrated how Brownfields funding is crucial for overcoming technical and financial barriers and how on-site ACM management can serve not only as a cleanup strategy, but as a catalyst for redevelopment. By addressing asbestos efficiently and responsibly, the Town of Lincoln has unlocked forward momentum toward its broader vision of transforming the former LP&T Mill into the Lincoln Technology Park—a hub for next generation, technology driven forest products and economic renewal.