DURHAM, CONN. (June 12, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed an update to the agency’s plan to clean up the Durham Meadows Superfund Site in Durham, Connecticut. The proposed update, formally called an “Explanation of Significant Differences” (ESD), will not fundamentally change the scope, performance, or cost of EPA’s plan to clean up the Durham Meadows site that was selected in 2005.
In 2005, EPA selected a remedy for the Durham Meadows Superfund Site to address risks to human health from groundwater contamination and contamination in soil and soil vapor. The 2005 remedy, as documented in a Record of Decision (ROD), defined the area where groundwater contamination exists and cannot be remediated, known as the “Technical Impracticability Zone.” Groundwater data collected since has shown the extent of the groundwater contamination is further southwest than previously documented.
EPA is issuing an ESD to document the revised extent of the Technical Impracticability Zone. This change will not impact the cleanup work at the site, because the extent of groundwater contamination was fully documented prior to the initiation of the Durham waterline project. In addition, all contaminated wells within that zone have been eliminated and those properties were connected to the new water system, which was also extended to include properties close to the zone that could be impacted in the future. The State of Connecticut has reviewed and commented on the proposed update and concurs with its issuance.
The public can comment on the proposed update from Wednesday, June 12 through Tuesday, July 2, 2024 by following the steps listed below.
Background
The site is located in the Town of Durham, and includes an area of groundwater contamination generally centered on Main Street. The outer limits of the site are defined by the extent of the groundwater contamination. The site is centered around the two source areas: Durham Manufacturing Company, a currently operating manufacturing facility located at 201 Main Street; and the former location of Merriam Manufacturing Company at 281 Main Street. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contamination has been detected in the soil and groundwater at these facilities. The groundwater contamination migrating from these facilities has impacted over 50 private drinking water wells. The major contaminant at the site is trichloroethylene (TCE), which continues to be detected in groundwater at concentrations at levels unsafe for consumption. The initial cleanup action, at the former Merriam Manufacturing Company, was completed in 2013. The installation of a new water system to provide clean water to the properties with contaminated water began in 2019 and became functional in 2022. EPA expects to begin the cleanup of contaminated soil at the Durham Manufacturing Company in 2025. The Durham Meadows Superfund Site received over $10.3 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund ongoing work to address legacy groundwater and soil contamination at the site.
The draft ESD and a fact sheet describing the proposed changes are available for review at: www.epa.gov/superfund/durham.
Comments on the ESD should be submitted no later than midnight on July 2, 2024 to:
Ed Hathaway
U.S. EPA Region 1 Mail Code: 07-1
5 Post Office Square, Suite 100
Boston, MA 02109-3912
Or Hathaway.Ed@epa.gov
For more information on the public comment process, please contact: Darriel Swatts, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, Swatts.Darriel@epa.gov, Office: (617) 918-1065.