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Falmouth public‑works director: lead, PCE found at Trotting Park; community forum set for May 22
Summary
Public‑works director Peter McCanny told the Select Board that soil tests at the Trotting Park youth baseball fields showed lead above MassDEP standards and one groundwater well detected tetrachloroethylene (PCE); a second round of samples is due this week and a community forum is scheduled for May 22 at the Lawrence School.
Peter McCanny, Falmouth’s director of public works, updated the Select Board on an environmental cleanup at the Trotting Park youth baseball fields that began in late November 2024 and prompted closure of the complex.
McCanny told the board soil samples from the site “had lead and concentrations they were above the Mass DP standards,” and that consultants installed six groundwater monitoring wells. He said one monitoring well, WMW2, detected elevated tetrachloroethylene — PCE — and that his firm performed a second round of groundwater sampling to confirm whether the initial reading was anomalous. “Those samples are due back. We should have the samples back by the end of this week,” McCanny said.
The director said lead was the primary contaminant found in landfill soils but noted that laboratory detections for lead at some locations were below detection limits. He emphasized that the town’s environmental consultant was following required sampling and reporting protocols and that the town had created a centralized webpage for public updates.
McCanny announced a town‑hosted community forum on Thursday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lawrence School. He said town management, the consultant and he would be present “to answer questions.” The board and staff stressed that, because the matter did not appear on the agenda, there would be no debate or formal board action on the contamination issue at that meeting.
The Select Board did not take action on the matter at Monday’s meeting but asked staff to continue public outreach and post results when the second round of groundwater tests is returned to clarify whether the PCE reading reflects a site condition or an installation artifact.
What’s next: the town will publish the second‑round groundwater results when received and host the May 22 forum to present findings and accept questions from residents.
