City praises cleanup progress at Water Street; council approves next phase of PCB remediation
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Summary
City consultants told council the recent removal of roughly 15,000 tons of PCB‑contaminated soil from the former DUR storage yard reduced concentrations below 1 ppm across the remediated area. Council voted unanimously to approve follow‑on assessment and disposal work and to pursue grant funding for the next cleanup stage.
City consultants detailed major progress this week on the long‑running Water Street environmental cleanup and received unanimous council approval to continue assessment and remediation work.
AKT Peerless representatives Scott and Jeremy told the council the northern storage‑yard and adjacent landfill areas historically contained the highest concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). After a multi‑year characterization effort, contractors removed about 15,000 tons of contaminated soil from the two‑acre DUR storage/metal junkyard footprint between September and December. The firm said cleanup‑verification sampling shows PCB concentrations below 1 part per million (ppm) across the remediated footprint, and total‑lead concentrations within the state’s conservative direct‑contact thresholds.
The consultants said the contractor removed hazardous waste streams separately, managing multiple waste classifications (PCBs mixed with lead or cadmium and nonhazardous soil) and that some additional excavation was required after verification sampling. Because winter weather delayed site restoration work, topsoil and seeding will occur in spring.
City staff and AKT Peerless recommended the next technical step be a targeted assessment of the disposal area (the former marsh/landfill) to determine which parts can be matched to available funding streams. AKT Peerless outlined a plan to break the disposal area into roughly 30 sampling units for “waste characterization” so that future cleanup funding—federal EPA grants, state programs or community grants—can be applied to the appropriate units.
Council supported using remaining MEDC funds and pursuing additional grant applications to chip away at the disposal area this fall, and voted to approve the proposed next‑phase work. The council also authorized staff to continue grant applications and to return with any contract adjustments required to complete the scope.
Council members asked how the cleanup work will affect people camping on the site and whether outreach and care‑team coordination will be part of the spring mobilization; AKT Peerless and city staff said they will coordinate with outreach partners and the existing care team ahead of field work to avoid repeat delays. A city official said the long‑term objective remains redevelopment that can include housing, subject to funding and the needs of future developers.
The approval follows years of incremental work on the property and is intended to make parts of the site development‑ready while the city pursues additional funding to address the former landfill areas.