Town Issues Update On Olin Superfund Site, Open House To Discuss Investigation & Cleanup Set For November 6

Below is an article from the most recent Town Topics newsletter:

WILMINGTON, MA — As we enter the fall and Wilmington has seen many new residents over the recent years, we feel it is important to update the public on the Olin Chemical Superfund Site status. The following information summary is highlighted on the official EPA Olin Chemical Superfund Website.

The Olin Chemical Superfund Site is comprised of the 53-acre property at 51 Eames Street and adjoining off property areas that have been impacted by contaminant releases from manufacturing and waste disposal activities formerly conducted at the property. A chemical manufacturing facility was located within the 30-acre northern portion of the property, which made specialty chemicals for the rubber and plastics industry from 1953 until it closed in 1986. The facility was owned and operated by several different corporate entities over time, and was purchased by the Olin Corporation in 1980. Olin operated the facility until 1986, when the facility was closed. During the facility’s operation, wastes were released to the environment, including from disposal on the property in unlined and leaking lagoons and due to spills and other releases. These discharges resulted in groundwater contamination both on and off the property.

In late 2002 and 2003, the Town placed its drinking water supply wells in the Maple Meadow Brook aquifer, located downgradient of the property, off-line due to detections of nnitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a primary Contaminant of Concern (COC) associated with the site. Due to the contamination, the Town shifted its water source to four wells located outside of the area impacted by the site. Olin and the other Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) subsequently funded construction of a new pipeline extension to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The constructed pipeline has been in operation since 2008.

The site was finalized on the National Priorities List in April 2006. Since this time, EPA has been working to manage this Superfund Site with Olin and the other PRPs. The cleanup plan for the site was selected by EPA in 2021 and includes interim actions to remove ongoing sources of contamination in groundwater and final cleanup actions for addressing contaminated soil, sediments and surface water at the site. In May 2023, EPA announced a proposed Consent Decree with four of the PRPs for the site. Under the agreement, American Biltrite Inc., NOR-AM Agro, LLC, Olin Corporation, and Stepan Company agreed to address the contamination, with Olin taking the lead in performing the cleanup. A public comment period followed, and EPA, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the U.S. Department of Justice reviewed and formally responded to the comments that were received. The Consent Decree was approved by the federal judicial court in in September 2023.

More recently, EPA has been issuing periodic community updates to keep the public abreast of the latest efforts to remediate the site. In March of 2025, EPA and MassDEP approved Olin’s work plans to collect the additional data necessary to design the soil and groundwater cleanup systems that have been selected for the site. These work plans are for the soil contamination on the 51 Eames Street property, the underground pools of Dense Aqueous Phase Liquid (DAPL) and the areas of groundwater with the highest levels of contamination.

Olin collected soil samples from March to May, with some additional sampling planned for the fall when conditions are drier, and the water table is lower. Drilling and installation of wells for the groundwater cleanup began in August and is ongoing.

In parallel to the cleanup, studies are ongoing under a separate 2007 EPA settlement agreement to improve the characterization of the bedrock and further define the extent of groundwater contamination. These studies will be used to evaluate long-term groundwater cleanup options, leading to the selection in the future of a final cleanup plan for groundwater. In the near term, these aquifer studies will help identify the best places to locate groundwater extraction wells for the cleanup.

Residents interested in more information, additional past history, or efforts to remediate the site can find Olin Chemical Community Updates on Wilmington’s Health Department webpage: https://www.wilmingtonma.gov/health-department. More specific questions can be directed to EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Charlotte Gray at 617-918-1243, or by email at gray.charlotte@epa.gov.

An in-person, community-wide open house to update residents on investigation and cleanup activities will be held on Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 6pm to 8pm, at Wilmington High School. Community members are invited to stop by at any point during the two-hour session.