Medfield, DCAM Remain at Odds Over State Hospital Cleanup

“If hazardous waste is dumped over your water supply, is it better to take it out or leave it there ... and monitor it?”

That’s the question, posed by SHERC (State Hospital Environmental Review Committee) representative, John Thompson, in a report delivered to the Board of Selectmen, at its Sept. 6 meeting. 

The answer to that question finds the state and town of Medfield at odds regarding the clean-up efforts at the site of the former .

Both the town and SHERC  favor the removal of the waste, while the state has formulated plans to “cap” the waste material and implement a monitoring system, which is less costly than the removal process. 

“Simply saying that it costs too much without a thorough investigation, ” Thompson told the Board of Selectmen. “We didn’t feel that that was acceptable.”

Currently, the state, through the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), is making preparations to begin the project, leaving the town with little time to submit an alternative proposal.

“What we haven’t been able to do (to this point), given the amount of time we’ve had, was to have engineers on behalf of the town take a look at what alternatives might be (available),” Thompson said.

Thompson noted that the report, which will go the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, expresses concerns, which are “mainly focused on the oil in the (Charles) river.”

“To simply cap it is not the best solution for the sediment. It would be preferable to remove it by dredging,” Thompson said.

The report also called into question whether the state should undertake a more thorough assessment of the contaminated area, expressing concerns that the current plan calls for “capping a large portion of it (but) leaving quite a bit of the contaminated soil behind”. 

Some of the contaminated soil lies beneath the water table, Thompson pointed out and extends “into zone 2 to the public supply well  to Medfield well number six.”

As to the state’s argument that capping the contamination is a less-costly alternative to removal, Thompson noted that “If you look at the cost of monitoring, over time, (the cost) can be substantial.”

He added that, while removal would ensure elimination of the hazard, “capping” “can leave you with a situation where you have to do something in an emergency fashion.”

While there are few delaying tactics left to the town, to allow time for submitting alternative suggestions, there remains the possibility that the Oct. 15 deadline for completing the project may not be feasible due to nature’s intervention. 

“Crucial to the work is the weather and the water level,” Thompson explained. “In order to do part of the work, they need the elevation of the water surface of the (Charles) river to be 110 feet above sea-level or lower. (With the rain) we’ve been getting, it may be difficult for them to start work.”

Thompson noted that, should the project not be able to adhere to its Oct. 15 deadline for completion, the earliest date that work could resume would be June 15, of next year. 

Town Administrator, Michael Sullivan, queried Thompson as to whether there would be enough time to come up with an alternative plan, should the work be postponed to June of 2012 and whether the state would entertain a new proposal.

Thompson responded that there should be enough time, considering that a lot of the information necessary to draft an alternate plan is already available to town engineers, through DCAM‘s own assessment of the area. 

As to the state‘s willingness to entertain a new proposal, Thompson said, “If you come up with a rational plan, which costs less, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be open to that.” 

The selectmen were informed, through comments from the floor, that Congressman Stephen Lynch’s office had expressed an interest in the project and may be open to assisting the town in their efforts. 

The Board was also told that Congressman’s office had recently contacted the Army Corps. of Engineers and were told that the permit to begin the project was “not imminent”, which would favor the town in its efforts to buy time to craft an alternate plan.

A suggestion was then put forth  that the town convene a meeting, inviting Congressman Lynch to join representatives of the Army Corps. of Engineers, selectmen, a representative of SHERC and other interested parties, to further discuss the project,. 

The Board voted in favor of the suggestion and will select a date, after conferring with Congressman Lynch’s office, as to his availability.