PCBs Found Near Wastewater Treatment Plant In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Work is underway to remediate PCBs found earlier this summer near the Fairfield wastewater treatment plant.

The contamination was uncovered in June as a result of construction for a capital project to protect the plant against coastal flooding, according to First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, who said the construction site was closed for a couple of weeks after the discovery, but has since been cleared to reopen.

The town has been working to address the contamination with contractor Tighe & Bond, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, according to Kupchick. The PCBs are intermittently dispersed throughout the construction site, she said, and Tighe & Bond has been testing and remediating the affected sections.

“Some of the areas are clean and some are not,” she said, noting the contaminated soil is outside the facility and won’t affect work inside the plant.

Kupchick said material from the town fill pile was never used near the plant, which means the recent discovery of PCBs is unrelated to a public corruption scandal connected to illegal dumping at the pile and contaminated fill found at other locations in Fairfield.

“There is no evidence that this contamination is connected to the fill pile or other sites in town,” Kupchick said Wednesday in an email to residents.

The wastewater treatment plant is, however, built on a former Project Nike missile control site, which is likely the source of the PCBs, according to Kupchick, who said the town has not yet identified the full cost and scope of the remediation.

The more than $7 million capital project under construction at the wastewater treatment plant includes building over 2,400 feet of steel walls that will surround the plant as well as the nearby fire training facility, animal shelter and conservation workshop building. More than $3 million of the project cost is being paid for by a federal grant.