Razing urged for waste site
US says buildings are contaminated
Federal environmental officials are recommending that all buildings at the
The buildings are contaminated inside and out with depleted uranium, a radioactive and toxic material, and other hazardous substances, the officials say. Demolishing and disposing of the waste would cost an estimated $64 million.
"Should these buildings remain in place, there is a significant risk of fire or roof collapse," Melissa Taylor, project manager for the Environmental Protection Agency, said last week. "There could be a potential release of hazardous material."
Starmet and two other affiliated companies specializing in metal operations still do business on the site, employing 30 to 40 people there.
The EPA will hold an informational meeting at 7 tonight in the Harvey Wheeler Community Center to discuss its proposal. Its recommendation is based on an engineering evaluation and cost-analysis study, which found contamination on rooftops, interior walls, and floors, and on machinery and heavy equipment in the buildings. The study also found that the buildings are deteriorating and in poor condition.
The study report outlines five options for the buildings at 2229 Main St., from doing nothing to demolishing all structures. Demolition is the only way to completely remove the threat posed by the contamination because it is so widespread, Taylor said.
Residents and town officials who have been advocating for the cleanup said they are pleased the agency is recommending demolition.
"This is big," said James West, a member of Citizens Research and Environmental Watch, an environmental group that has pushed for the cleanup since 1990. "This is a very positive step and an indication that the cleanup of this site is approaching and is going to occur."
Pamela Rockwell, a member of the 2229 Main Street Oversight Committee, said the group's biggest concern has been for the well-being of the town's public safety personnel. Given the high levels of contamination, she said, it would be dangerous for fire and emergency crews to respond to an incident there.
Fire Chief Kenneth Willette said he supports the demolition. "I know it's a very challenging site for us to operate in and around because of the contamination issues," he said.
Taylor said that once the agency hears from the public and decides on a course of action, it will begin negotiating with potentially responsible parties to pay for the cleanup. She said neither the state nor the town is responsible.
If the agency is not able to collect enough money from the responsible parties to cover the cleanup, it would be paid for by the federal government, Taylor said. The timeline for funding would depend on how the Concord site compares with other projects around the country, but, given the contamination, the Concord site is likely to be dealt with quickly, she said.
"Anytime you have radioactive material at a site that may be released, it usually gets ranked pretty high up," Taylor said.
She said the high costs are mostly associated with the disposal of radioactive material because there are only a few places in the country that take the waste.
Known as the Nuclear Metals Superfund Site, the complex has a main structure comprising five interconnected buildings. The 46-acre property is in an industrial area that is near condominiums, the Thoreau Club, and two separate parcels that have been targeted for more than 500 units of housing.
Nuclear Metals, renamed Starmet in 1997, manufactured depleted uranium-tipped munitions for the Army at the site from the 1970s until 1999. Starmet is licensed by the state Department of Public Health's Radiation Control Program to possess radioactive materials, but it no longer manufactures products with radioactive materials. The company also manufactured metal powders for medical applications, photocopiers, and specialty metal products, such as beryllium tubing used in the aerospace industry.
Until 1985, waste products were dumped into unlined in-ground holding basins on the property. In June 2001, the site was added to the EPA's Superfund National Priority List, comprising the country's most serious hazardous waste sites identified for possible long-term cleanup.
The EPA is removing containers of flammable and hazardous substances from the buildings that present a risk of fire or explosion, and is overseeing a remedial investigation and feasibility study at the site to evaluate the extent of contamination, the risks posed by the contamination, and the cleanup options.
Concord residents may send comments about the site until June 4 to Melissa Taylor, US EPA - New England, 1 Congress St., Suite 1100 (HBO), Boston 02114-2023. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to taylor.melissa@epa.gov.
Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo.com. 