Sawin's Pond Cleanup Moving Forward?
from Watertown TAB & Press

It appears that the cleanup of Sawin's Pond may be headed in a positive direction. According to the article, a proposed plan for testing of the site has been put forward by Avier Environmental, a company specializing in environmental remediation. The proposing of a plan for cleanup of Sawin's Pond is considered Phase II of the Massachusetts DEP's five Phase plan for remediation of a site. Phase I, which is the listing of a site as contaminated, happened 10 years ago. Phases III-V involve approval and cleanup of the pond.
The plan will soon be discussed by the DEP and the Watertown Conservation Commission.

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One step toward cleanup
By Christopher Loh/ Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006

After being considered polluted for years, the cleanup of Sawins Pond has taken one more step.
According to Avier Environmental's Bob Houghton, the principal hydro-geologist for the site, a public meeting was held to talk about testing to occur at the site last June.
A transformer leak in 1983 sent 1,000 gallons of polychlorinated biphenyl, a carcinogen also known as PCB, through the pond. The site, bordering Arlington Street and Coolidge Avenue, was also near several industrial buildings, including B.F. Goodrich and the original Army Arsenal.
The proposed plan for testing represents Phase II of the cleanup process and was revised due to some of the public comments, and the plan was then submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Phase I of the process was the initial identification of the site as contaminated in 1996 by the DEP.
Phase III of the project is proposing a cleanup plan. Phases IV and V involve the actual cleanup of the site. No date has been set to start cleaning up the pond.
Now that Phase II has been submitted, Houghton said, there are certain aspects that may be implemented while other aspects have to go to the Watertown Conservation Commission for notice of intent of potential disturbance of wetlands, including soil and water testing.
The testing will be focused primarily on the contaminants identified in previous testing.
According to Houghton, when the Phase II testing is complete depends on the Conservation Commission.
"The notice of intent will be submitted either later this month or early next month, and it generally is a month before it gets on the meeting schedule," Houghton said. "It depends on how many meetings they decide to have on the proposal. It's usually one or two meetings."
Houghton was confident the Conservation Commission shouldn't have a problem with the plans.
"The Conservation Commission shouldn't have a problem with the amount of disturbance planned," Houghton said. "That can all be controlled."
Houghton said the type of testing planned is "done all the time."
Christopher Loh can be reached at cloh@cnc.com.

posted by santo26 | 01:53 PM