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Comment Period Reopened for Proposed Industri-Plex Clean Up Plan

Release Date: 10/21/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan (deegan.dave@epa.gov), EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017

For Immediate Release: October 21, 2005; Release # dd051001

(Woburn, Mass.) – After careful review of several technical documents and previous public comments, EPA is reopening a 30-day public comment opportunity regarding the comprehensive clean up plan for the Industri-Plex Superfund site, located in Woburn, Mass.

The reopened public comment period will allow additional input from the community and involved stakeholders regarding EPA’s proposed comprehensive clean up plan for the Woburn site.

The reopened comment period begins Oct. 20, and comments will be accepted through Nov. 18, 2005. Also, a public hearing will be held on Thurs. Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Shamrock Elementary School, 60 Green Street in Woburn. At this public hearing, individuals and stakeholders can also formally submit comments to EPA on the proposed comprehensive clean up plan.

EPA has also determined for this clean up that ammonia should be added as a “contaminant of concern” for Operable Unit 2 (including Wells G&H Superfund Site Operable Unit 3). This decision is based on further review of data included in the March 2005 Remedial Investigation, as well as data from EPA’s Office of Research and Development and from public comments addressing concerns with ammonia submitted earlier this year.

While ammonia is now being highlighted as a contaminant of concern, the cleanup alternatives evaluated in the June 2005 Feasibility Study and the preferred alternatives presented in the June 2005 Proposed Plan considered and addressed ammonia in groundwater and surface water along with the arsenic and benzene contamination.

Two documents have been amended and/or added to the public record regarding the Industri-Plex site clean up plan: an Oct. 2005 “Technical Memorandum – Evaluation of Ammonia and Supplemental Soil Data,” and an Oct. 2005 “Fact Sheet” which supplements the June 2005 Proposed Plan. The public comment period is being reopened for 30 days to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on both the updated Technical Memorandum and Fact Sheet, as well as the addition of ammonia as a contaminant of concern relative to the selection of the final cleanup plan for the site.

After the close of the public comment period, EPA will review and consider comments received on the technical documents and Proposed Plan and issue a Record of Decision (ROD), which will outline the selected remedy for the site. Responses to comments received will be provided as part of a Responsiveness Summary, which will accompany the ROD.

The public is invited to review and comment on all available documents related to the proposed comprehensive clean up plan for the Industri-Plex Superfund site. All documents are available for review at the Woburn and Winchester Public Libraries, the EPA Records Center in Boston, and at: https://www.epa.gov/ne/superfund/sites/industriplex .

Related Information:
Industri-Plex Site Fact Sheet
Cleanup Process
Cleanup in New England