EPA To Review Former Hatheway and Patterson Site

MANSFIELD, MA — The Environmental Protection Agency plans to conduct an environmental review at the former Hatheway and Patterson site located on the Mansfield-Foxborough line.

The former business, located at County Street, preserved utility poles and other wood-based items from the 1950s through the 1990s. Over the last 20 year's, state, local, and federal officials have worked to clean up the site, which was on the EPA's Superfund List because of dioxin, arsenic and heavy metalsin found in the 40 acre site's soil. The clean-up cost the EPA $28 million, as 43,500 tons of toxic soil had to be removed. In May of 2018, the site was removed from the EPA's list, the Sun Chronicle reported.

Hatheway and Patterson is one of 14 sites the EPA announced it will review this year. EPA New England Regional Adminstrator Deb Szaro told the Sun Chronicle that regular reviews are important even after a site is removed from the Superfund list to ensure the area remains safe for both humans and the environment. Both towns still use the site today. Mansfield uses it to park trucks, while Foxborough uses its part of the property as additional commuter rail parking.The last site review was conducted in 2014.