EPA & Congressman McGovern Coming To Ashland To Celebrate More Funding For Nyanza Superfund Site

In fill transparency, the following is a press release from the EPA submitted to SOURCE media.

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ASHLAND – On Monday, April 3, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 Regional Administrator David W. Cash will be joined by Congressman McGovern, Mass Senate President Karen Spilka, MASS DEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple, and Ashland Town Manager Michael Herbert to celebrate the infusion of funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to continue groundwater cleanup at the Nyanza Superfund Site.

The Monday morning event will announce and celebrate additional Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for groundwater cleanup at the Nyanza Superfund Site.

The Nyanza Superfund Site has had a long history.

From 1917 to 1978, companies produced textile dyes and other products on site. Various manufacturing and waste disposal practices contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater. 

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Nyanza Inc. operated on site from 1965 until 1978, and the site was added to the “National Priorities List” aka Superfund in December 1982. 

Sites on the National Priorities Lists, including Nyanza, are eligible to use federal Superfund money for cleanup work. Superfund cleanups often take many years to remediate due to the complexity of contamination issues and because they are prioritized and funded incrementally over years.

 Under the site cleanup plan described in a 2020 “Record of Decision,” EPA will conduct additional groundwater remediation. This remedy entails additional extraction of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) and expansion of the recovery well network if further DNAPL sources are encountered. EPA also plans to implement In-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) treatment of groundwater within the source area to address volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in deep overburden and shallow bedrock zones near the site to further address and mitigate downgradient groundwater exposure and vapor intrusion risks.

EPA estimated the cost of this work at approximately $20.5 million.

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In February of this year, U.S. EPA announced the second wave of approximately $1 billion in funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to start new cleanup projects at 22 Superfund sites, including three sites in Massachusetts – the Creese and Cook Tannery site in Danvers, the Nyanza site in Ashland, and Walton and Lonsbury in Attleboro – and expedite over 100 other ongoing cleanups across the country.

Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed, including in manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills, and mining sites.

Superfund cleanups help transform contaminated properties and create jobs in overburdened communities, while repurposing these sites for a wide range of uses, including public parks, retail businesses, office space, residences, warehouses, and solar power generation. In addition, these sites can support natural areas, parks, and recreation facilities, providing greenspace and safe places for families to play outside.

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