EPA Proposes Local Site for Superfund List

Attleboro is one step closer to receiving the funding needed to clean an area in the immediate vicinity of 78 North Ave. that was contaminated with chemicals through decades of pollution by a previously existing chrome-plating plant.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it has proposed placing the former Walton & Lonsbury Inc. property on the National Priorities List, which would make it eligible for financing from the Superfund program. State and federal officials told a packed house at Attleboro City Hall in late April that the cleanup would cost "tens of millions of dollars," a mysterious figure that only the federal government could afford.

Attleboro's local, state and federal representatives as well as the state Department of Environmental Protection and Gov. Deval Patrick have already submitted letters in support of the site's placement on the Superfund list. The additional support from the EPA means that it is highly likely the designation will become official, but there is a public process that is not expected to conclude until next fall at the earliest.

"Proposing to add these two sites (a site in Danvers has also been proposed) to the national Superfund list is a first-step toward helping these communities to address contamination issues on these parcels," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office, according to a press release. "Superfund has been very effective cleaning contaminated lands across the country, ensuring cleaner and healthier communities."

The contamination includes lead, chromium and degreaser solvents that had been used to clean parts before they were chrome-plated. It was spread mostly through flooding, environmental officials said at the April meeting. From 1940 to 1973, the company had dumped the pollutants into a nearby stream, an action that was legal at the time. The plant closed in 2007.

Federal officials were asked by the state in 2009 to address contamination issues in the immediate vicinity of the plant. This led to the structure's demolition and a cleanup that will end up costing about $12 million (separate from the "tens of millions" that the additional effort will cost).

Recent soil and water sampling led to the determination the pollution went beyond the immediate area. The extent of the contamination is not known, but environmental officials said it was not believed to have affected areas north of the site. Determination of how far-reaching the pollution is would be made through a study that could begin after the Superfund designation becomes official.

There is no short-term danger, environmental officials said in April. But long-term contact with the pollutants could lead to health risks.