All News Releases By Date

EPA BEGINS CLEANUP OF LAGOONS ALONG THE TAUNTON RIVER

Release Date: 08/04/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman (617) 918-1064

BOSTON -- The New England Office of the Environmental Protection Agency began cleanup activities last week to remove chromium-
contaminated sediments from the Taunton River Enhancement Site in Taunton, Massachusetts. The 2½ acre site is located south of Rogers Avenue along the aunton River. Four contaminated lagoons were used for the disposal of tannery wastes during the 1950s through the early 1970s. Three of the lagoons are elevated and are surrounded by approximately ten feet of earthen dike. The fourth lagoon is a low-lying area close to the river. The property is currently owned by the city of Taunton.

During the coming months, EPA will remove up to 15,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils, sediments, and sludges. Excavated materials will be treated before being disposed of offsite. EPA expects the cleanup to cost approximately $2.5 million.

"This site is in a neighborhood where children have easy access to the abandoned lagoons, and the lagoons' proximity to the river threatens the aquatic ecosystem," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England administrator. "Our actions to secure the area and clean up the waste pits will allow Taunton to move ahead with its plans to redevelop this area."

EPA inspectors observed signs of fishing, hunting, and off-road vehicle use on the site as well as vestiges of a child's play area. Three thousand people live within three quarters of a mile of the site.

Working closely with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, EPA investigated the site in the spring of 1997 and found chromium in the lagoons and surrounding soil at levels as high as 150,000 parts per million.

The Taunton River is home to a number of species including the endangered Atlantic Sturgeon. Bald eagles and other birds of prey depend on the river as a source of freshwater fish. During heavy rains and high tide, the site can flood and release contaminants into the river.

EPA's work in Taunton coincides with an ongoing effort to revitalize the surrounding Weir neighborhood. The Weir neighborhood is located within an industrial zone of Taunton that has been designated as an "economic target area" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The city has worked with a community based economic development organization called the Weir Corporation, to rejuvenate the area by renovating buildings and referring hazardous waste sites in the neighborhood to EPA for possible cleanup.

Hazardous materials that remain at a number of sites along the river have hindered redevelopment activities in the neighborhood. Neither Taunton nor the Weir Corporation has sufficient funds to complete the cleanups.