EPA Proposes Cleanup For Cancer-Causing Nyanza Site In Ashland

ASHLAND, MA — A bit of hopeful news came this week for one of the worst toxic waste disasters in Massachusetts history. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a $20.5 million plan to clean up chemicals buried underground near the Nyanza site in downtown Ashland.

The cleanup would focus on groundwater in two areas near the Nyanza site: the Nyacol Nano Technologies and Worcester Air Conditioning properties, and the so-called "plume," an underground area that extends northeast toward the Sudbury River believed to be contaminated by volatile compounds. Local activists refer to it as a "cocktail of sludge."

The Nyanza Superfund site stretches across about 35 acres between downtown Ashland and the MBTA access road. Nyanza manufactured chemical dyes on the site between 1965 and 1978, dumping large amounts of harmful chemicals during that time. Other companies operated on the site dating back to 1917, and also dumped there. The site was one of the first 10 Superfund sites to be targeted by the EPA when the program launched in 1982.

Before the EPA began cleanup, Ashland residents — especially children — would come into contact with contaminated water at the site. A 2006 state Department of Public Health assessment of the site found that those chemicals likely caused local residents to develop cancer, especially those who grew up in Ashland in the 1960s to the 1980s.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the EPA consolidated contaminated material in an area known as "the cap," a landfill at the end of Megunko Road between the new Cirrus Apartments complex and the MBTA tracks. The Nyanza contamination also reached well outside Ashland. A 26-mile stretch of the Sudbury River reaching all the way to Concord was part of the cleanup.

The new plan to tackle the plume is an attempt to protect the dense downtown Ashland area, and any new development due to "current and future potential threats to human health."

The underground waste may be seeping up through the ground in vapor form, putting businesses and homes at risk. The plume could also stall future development in Ashland along a busy corridor between downtown and the commuter rail station. Construction workers could come into contact with contaminated groundwater and vapor in that area, the EPA says.

"The current exposure pathways include: the potential inhalation of contaminants in the indoor air of existing and new buildings; potential direct contact with groundwater and inhalation of vapors in trench air from construction excavation activities; and potential exposure to groundwater via direct contact from future private irrigation wells," the EPA says in its proposal.

The plume also intersects with the Sudbury River near Main Street in downtown Ashland, but is not impacting the river right now, according to officials.

The EPA's preferred method of cleanup — the organization has prepared six alternative plans — would be to build monitoring and injection wells in the area. Some waste would be extracted, some would be treated in place, and some would be left underground. The cleanup, including testing and long-term monitoring, could take five to 10 years, the EPA has estimated.

The proposal came as welcome news to local government officials and activists who have hoped for more cleanup. Ashland Citizens Action Council founder Cara Tirrell said that she hopes the work gets underway soon so Bernie and Marie Kane can see it done. Their son, Kevin, died in 1998 of a rare cancer linked to Nyanza — he was also one of the most outspoken activists for getting the site completely cleaned up.

"I see this as a win," Tirrell said this week. "For all the families that have suffered, we want to make sure this never happens to any children again."

The public comment period for the plan opened on Jan. 14. The EPA will also host a public meeting on the proposal on Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ashland High School auditorium, 65 E Union St. Following the public comment period, EPA will release a "Record of Decision" document detailing how the new cleanup will unfold.