Springfield water plant PCB contamination: what officials know so far
It will take tests of "thousands" of soil samples to gauge the extent of PCB contamination at the site of the Springfield region's $363 million West Parish Water Treatment Plant , whose construction is already delayed by the discovery of the contamination.
Members of the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission were briefed Thursday on the problem. The PCBs were discovered last year in soils around artificial caverns built with PCB-laden caulking in the 1960s. The PCBs, listed by the federal government as a probable carcinogen, bled into surrounding soil.
In an attempt to propel construction, commissioners said they want to segregate older underground structures, built in the 1920s that do not have PCB contamination, from the area of the 1960s caverns.
PCBs have not been found in drinking water. The underground filters were already not being used, according to Springfield Water & Sewer communications with MassDEP and in statements to The Republican.
The tests will target a soil pile at the construction site that measures roughly 2,500 cubic yards, according to documents on file at the MassDEP.
But some soil was moved off site before contamination was found. Some of it was sold.
Splitting the older, uncontaminated, portions from the contaminated parts of the site will allow contractors to complete demolition on at least part of the project, Joshua D. Schimmel, executive director of the commission, said at a regular monthly meeting Thursday.
As that happens, the U.S. Environmental Protection and the state Department of Environmental Protection will work out a soil testing and cleanup program, Schimmel said.
It's too early to know how far the contamination has pushed the project off schedule or how much extra money it will add to the cost, Schimmel has said.
The commission is under an agreement with the state DEP to get the new filtration plant, located near the Cobble Mountain Reservoir at 1515 Granville Road in Westfield, operating by September 2028.
Commission director to brief City Council
Meantime, Springfield city councilors have invited Schimmel to a Sustainability and Environment subcommittee meeting at 4 p.m. April 8 in City Hall, where he'll be asked about the cost, scope and timeline of a cleanup, as well as how the contamination was discovered by construction workers.
"I really want to know exactly what is going on," subcommittee chair Victor G. Davila said in an interview. "I want to get more details about what happened."
City Councilor Victor G. Davila will question staff from the Springfield Water & Sewer Commission next month over PCB contamination found at a construction site in Westfield. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
He's also concerned about the financial impact the cleanup or slowdown in construction will have on ratepayers.
"Most importantly to ensure that there are no current issues with the water," Davila said.
Davila, the Ward 6 councilor, said he was prompted to seek an audience with Schimmel both by coverage in The Republican of the contamination and by as-yet unanswered but similar questions posed by state Reps. Michael J. Finn, D-West Springfield, and Rep. Aaron L. Saunders, D-Belchertown, in a letter to the commission.
Springfield Water & Sewer provides water to a quarter million customers in Springfield and surrounding communities. The water comes from the Cobble Mountain Reservoir in Blandford, Granville and Russell in the wooded hilltowns.
The new West Parish plant is designed to eliminate chemicals created as a byproduct of the current disinfection process and meet current standards.
Alex Roseweir speaks with visitors in the underground filter chamber during an open house at the West Parish Water Treatment facility. (The Westfield News / file photo)The Westfield News
The West Parish project is financed with a $250 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program, with matching funds from the Massachusetts Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and with a $4.6 million 2024 congressional earmark.
On Thursday, commissioners voted to formally accept that earmark secured by from U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Stories by Jim Kinney
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