Neponset River cleanup plan will take two years, EPA official says
MILTON − Developing a plan to clean up part of the Neponset River is expected to take two years, and federal officials are urging the public to help guide the process.
Environmental Protection Agency officials held a workshop Thursday night at the Milton Senior Center to outline the planned investigation of contamination along a 3.7-mile section of the river from Mother Brook in Hyde Park to the Walter Baker Dam on the Milton/Dorchester line.
The sediment on the riverbed is known to contain polychlorinated biphenyls and the area was added to the federal Superfund list for cleanup in March.
Helen DuTeau, the EPA's chief of community involvement and program initiatives, said on a video link that the purpose of the workshop and two others are to "promote early community involvement in the Superfund process."
She said there will be more opportunities for public involvement as the project progresses.
Natalie Burgo, the EPA's remedial project manager, said PCBs were used in a variety of commercial and industrial products from 1929 to 1979, and that there were many industrial uses along that section of the river during that time. PCBs do not break down in water, can travel long distances and can "work their way up the food chain" into people who eat contaminated fish, she said.
Burgo said the contract for investigating the site and drawing up a feasibility plan for the cleanup is to be signed next month, with testing for the study to begin in the spring. The remedial plan is expected in the fall of 2024.
The investigation won't be limited to PCBs, she said.
"There could be other chemicals of concern," Burgo said.
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She said the federal government will pay for the investigation at the beginning, but lawyers for the agency are working on tracing parties who could be held responsible for the pollution and liable for some of the cleanup costs. There are more than 100 potential responsible parties, she said.
"We don't want to wait," Burgo said.
John Kiernan, the chair of the Milton Conservation Commission, wondered about the extent of the testing of the sediment and whether the sampling would disrupt contaminated sediment and send it downstream. He said one of the largest smelt hatcheries on the East Coast is just downstream from the Walter Baker Dam.
Burgo replied that the extent of testing has not been determined and it could include areas outside the designated site.
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"The data is going to determine the sampling plan," she said.
About two dozen people attended the workshop in person, while a similar number participated virtually.
Two other workshops are scheduled: at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Mildred Avenue School, 5 Mildred Ave., Mattapan; and 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the BCYF Hyde Park Community Center, 1179 River St., Hyde Park.
Reach Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: EPA: Neponset River Superfund cleanup plan will take two years
