MassDEP Releases Plan To Clean Toxic General Chemical Site

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has released its draft plan for partial cleanup the old General Chemical site in south Framingham. The plan focuses on an old "tank farm" on the site, and would clean up about 40 percent of the contamination.

The General Chemical site is located at 133-135 Leland St., behind Woodrow Wilson Elementary and close to the borders of Natick and Sherborn. The site was used beginning in the 1920s to store petroleum products. In the 1960s, General Chemical began using it to store and recycle hazardous solvents, including tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). The facility closed in 2012.

According to MassDEP, a "plume" of contamination extends southwest from the property. Some contaminants drain into a ditch that drains into Course Brook, which flows into Sherborn and Natick. Course Brook is not a drinking water source, but it does flow into Fisk Pond and local wetlands, endangering downstream plant and wildlife, MassDEP found.

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Under the plan, the state would vaporize the harmful chemicals by applying a heat treatment, and then vacuum up the vapor. The cleanup, estimated to cost about $2.2 million, could be implemented and complete by the fall, according to the plan.

The draft plan will be discussed at a meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Woodrow Wilson Elementary. A copy will also remain on file at the Framingham Public Library.

Here's the full draft immediate response action plan from MassDEP:

General Chemical Draft Plan by Neal McNamara on Scribd