News Releases from Region 01
EPA Proposes to Remove Superfund Designation from 10-acre Parcel of Industri-Plex Superfund Site in Woburn, Mass.
Comment period opens July 15, 2020
BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to delete a 10.7-acre parcel from the ongoing cleanup of the Industri-plex Superfund Site in Woburn, Massachusetts. The parcel proposed to be removed from Superfund designation is located at 200 Presidential Way.
EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) have determined that all appropriate response actions at the parcel under the Superfund program have been completed, and no human and environmental health concerns remain on the parcel. Therefore, the parcel may be removed from the "National Priorities List" (NPL, aka Superfund). This partial deletion pertains to soil and groundwater of the 10.7-acre parcel at 200 Presidential Way but does not impact the continued NPL designation of the remaining areas of the Industri-Plex Superfund Site. Beginning July 15, 2020, there will be a 30-day public comment period on EPA's proposal.
"EPA is very proud to be taking action to remove a portion of this Woburn, Massachusetts site from the federal Superfund list," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Dennis Deziel. "We are making good on our commitment to protect the people we serve and support local community revitalization by allowing land to be safely redeveloped for productive use when cleanup measures have been successfully completed. This will help further spur the local economy and create jobs and homes here in Woburn."
"This is an important milestone in cleanup at the site," said Commissioner Martin Suuberg of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. "The Industri-Plex site will continue to receive our ongoing work and attention."
The Industri-plex Superfund Site was once a former chemical and glue manufacturing facility. EPA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have performed numerous actions since the 1980s to remove contamination at the site and to reduce risks to human health and the environment. The site was added to the national priorities list in 1983.
On most of the site, EPA determined that residual contamination meant that future uses could include commercial but not residential uses. However, on the parcel now known as 200 Presidential Way, no use restrictions are necessary. After careful analysis of soil and groundwater samples taken throughout the parcel, and after evaluating potential future residential uses and non-drinking water exposure to groundwater on the parcel, EPA affirmed in a 2018 document (an "Explanation of Significant Differences") that the 200 Presidential Way parcel should have no Superfund limitations on redevelopment.
Today's partial deletion is a result of EPA's continued focus to finish the job at Superfund sites. Under the Trump Administration, EPA has increased the number of site deletions from the NPL. For example, EPA deleted all or part of 27 sites from the NPL in FY 2019, the largest number of deletions in one year since 2001. While the site work on Superfund sites spans administrations, the Trump Administration is prioritizing both cleanup progress and cleanup completion. Deletions from the NPL are important because it announces to communities and signals potential developers and financial institutions that cleanup in the deleted area is complete.
How to Review & Submit Comments:
Comments on the proposed deletion of this parcel from the National Priorities List must be received by August 14, 2020. A copy of EPA's proposal, instructions on how to submit comments, and extensive historical information on EPA's efforts at the site are available at: https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/superfund/industriplex .