EPA To Review Cleanup At Natick Superfund Site

Natick MA

20 January, 2022

9:28 AM

Description

NATICK, MA — In 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will conduct a five-year review of a Superfund site at the Natick Soldier Systems base on Lake Cochituate. Cleanup of the site began around 1994 after the discovery of volatile organic compounds around the base and the shoreline. Although cleanup is complete, the five-year review will make sure the site is stable, according to EPA. "Ensuring completed Superfund site cleanup work remains protective of human health and the environment is a priority for EPA," EPA New England Regional Administrator Deb Szaro said in a news release. "By completing reviews of the cleanups every five years, EPA fulfills its duty to remain vigilant so that these communities continue to be protected." A wide variety of chemicals were used at the base since it was built in the 1950s — everything from turpentine, benzene and chloroform to "radioactive materials and chemical agents were used for food irradiation, tracer studies and clothing absorption tests," according to EPA. Two sites at the base were identified as being contaminated: a former gymnasium that was under construction in the late 1980s, and Building T-25 and an associated outfall pipe near Pegan Cove. According to EPA, the former gym site is stable. The site near T-25, however, still has high enough contamination to pose a risk to plants, bacteria and other wildlife that live in lake soil and sediment. The Natick site is one of 14 across New England that the EPA will review in 2022. Other sites in the state include Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford and the former Shpack Landfill in Attleboro.