EPA Approves Olin Chemical Cleanup Plan

WILMINGTON, MA — The Environmental Protection Agency approved a cleanup plan for the Olin Chemical Superfund Site in Wilmington, the agency said Thursday.

The $48 million plan, announced in Aug., is meant to address soil and water contamination from Olin Chemical, a 53-acre rubber and plastics facility at 51 Eames Street that closed in 1986. It includes provisions for aquifer and groundwater cleanup, excavation of contaminated soil, and a permanent cap on the Olin property "containment area."

The agency's decision comes a week after Massachusetts published a study finding a link between a chemical sourced to the site and a cluster of 1990s childhood cancers in Wilmington.

The agency will now enter negotiations with Olin Chemical and other potentially responsible parties on enforcement of the cleanup plan. Those discussions could take up to nine months and design for the groundwater treatment system is not expected to begin until 2022.

Studies on remaining questions will continue alongside the negotiations and cleanup, including work to "further delineate the extent of groundwater contamination," the agency said.

“Issuing this final cleanup plan for the Olin Chemical Superfund Site is a major step towards ensuring that contamination at the site will not harm the health of people living near this site, and ultimately could allow for the site’s reuse,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro. “EPA is proud to be part of the cleanup solution of this site for the citizens of Wilmington.”

The plan's highlights include the following measures:

• "Begin cleanup of the aquifer by constructing and operating new groundwater extraction and treatment systems.
• Capture and treat oily waste and contaminated groundwater that flows into surface water by constructing and operating new multi-phase extraction and treatment systems.
• Construct and maintain caps and cover systems on areas of soil contamination, including an impermeable cap over the feature on the Olin property known as the “Containment Area.”
• Excavate contaminated wetland soil and sediment, dispose excavated materials off-site at an appropriate approved facility, and restore impacted wetlands and floodplains.
• Prevent potential exposure to contaminants that pose inhalation risks in future buildings by requiring additional evaluations and/or engineering controls such as vapor barriers or venting systems.
• Implement land use controls (called “Institutional Controls”) to protect the remedy and public health.
• Conduct long-term groundwater and surface water monitoring and periodic five-year reviews to ensure protectiveness of the remedy. "

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.