Army Corps Has 2-Year Plan For PCB Cleanup At Stratford Plant

STRATFORD, CT — Residents turned out in droves Tuesday night to hear about the next step in preparing the Stratford Army Engine Plant — which town officials have referred to as "the single largest economic redevelopment opportunity in Stratford" — for use.

The plant at 550 Main St. for decades poured treated chemical waste into a drainage ditch, contaminating sediment in the ditch and nearby tidal flats with PCBs, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps held Tuesday's meeting at the Baldwin Center to discuss cleanup efforts for the area.

"This came together through teamwork," Program Manager Tom Linneer said Tuesday of the plan to remediate the contaminants. "... It's a team effort that has gotten us to this point."

The plant property is owned by the federal government, but the Army has selected Point Stratford Renewal LLC to develop the site. Before the 76-acre property can be developed, the contaminants must be cleaned up. The contamination poses threats to humans as well as fish, shellfish, birds, wetland resources and more, according to the Army Corps.

The site was first developed in 1927 for Sikorsky for aircraft and engine manufacturing and was later used by the U.S. Department of Defense for the same purpose. Now, more than 20 years after the plant was shut down, the Army Corps has a plan to clean up the contamination in the drainage ditch and tidal flats between the plant and the Housatonic River. The project is being paid for by the Army.

To conduct the remediation, about 140,000 cubic yards of sediment would need to be removed within the 47 acres of tidal flats and about 5,000 cubic yards of sediment would need to be remediated for the quarter-mile drainage ditch, according to the Army Corps. Cleanup of the nearby uplands is the responsibility of the purchaser, Linneer said.

The Corps considered 11 plans for remediation and settled on an option called "alternative 3," which includes mechanical dredging with mechanical transport. PCBs greater than 1 part per million will be trucked off site and those less than or equal to 1 part per million will be reused. Most of the material is reusable and only about 10 percent needs to be taken off site, Technical Lead Tony Delano told the crowd Tuesday.

Alternative 3 has the shortest overall schedule — two years — and offers the best balance of costs and benefits, according to the Army Corps.

When the meeting opened up to public comment, neighbors of the property had a few questions.

Elly Maccharoli confirmed with Delano that there would be air quality monitoring during the remediation, while Nick Maccharoli criticized the slow pace of progress at the site.

"By the time they do something I'll be dead," the 86-year-old said.

Another resident who lives about a half-mile north of the plant and swims in the Housatonic River requested the Army Corps consider creating a website where residents could monitor the levels of contamination throughout the project.

Several members of Stratford's Waterfront Harbor Management Commission expressed support for the effort. Geoff Steadman emphasized the need to protect local shellfish during the process, while Patrick Gribbon speculated that perhaps the project could be completed on a faster timeline.

Officials with Stratford's health department, planning commission and town council also spoke, as did state Rep. Joe Gresko.

Mayor Laura Hoydick declined to speculate Tuesday about the future of the property, noting the developer's contract is with the Army, not the town.

"It's whatever the market's going to bear," she said.

The plant site is zoned for commercial or industrial use, according to Hoydick.

The Army Corps is accepting public comment on the remediation plan through Friday and is expected to submit its final record of decision in April. Comments can be mailed to:

Erika Mark, Project Manager

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — New England District

696 Virginia Road

Concord MA 01742

Residents can also email nae-pn-nav@usace.army.mil.

For more information about the project, visit www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects-Topics/Army-Engine-Plant-Environmental-Restoration-Project/.