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EPA Reaches Agreement with Olympia Nominee Trust to Cleanup Contaminated Soil at Wells G and H Site

Release Date: 03/25/2003
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Involvement Office, 617-918-1064

BOSTON - The US EPA has reached an agreement with Olympia Nominee Trust to clean up contaminated soils on the Olympia property located at 60 Olympia Avenue in Woburn, Massachusetts. This is one of five properties identified in the early 1980's as a source of contamination to Wells G & H in Woburn.

Extensive sampling and analysis of soil and groundwater by EPA last spring on the Olympia property revealed surface soils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Sub-surface soils are contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). EPA believes that this area serves as an ongoing source of contamination to the groundwater and to the Aberjona River that flows through the property.

EPA will oversee the work outlined in the agreement, called an Administrative Order on Consent or AOC, which is expected to take several months. Under the agreement, Olympia Nominee Trust will:

    • Conduct additional sampling to further define the extent of contamination, as necessary;
    • Excavate and properly dispose of contaminated surface soils; and
    • Conduct further investigation and evaluate cleanup options for TCE contaminated subsurface soils.
The Wells G & H site, which was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1982, covers approximately 330 acres. The site includes the aquifer and land mass area located within the zone of contribution to the city of Woburn's former two municipal drinking water wells known as Wells G & H. EPA reached earlier settlements with W.R. Grace, Unifirst Corp., Wildwood Conservation Trust, and New England Plastics to cleanup contamination to the site. To date, these cleanup activities have resulted in the treatment of more than 200 million gallons of groundwater and the removal of over 4000 pounds of volatile organic compounds from groundwater. In addition, abandoned drums were removed from the Olympia property in the 1980's.

For more information about the Wells G & H Superfund site cleanup, visit EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/wellsgh