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Contaminated sites a big concern for all
By R.J. GRUBB
STAFF WRITER
Last year, the Concerned Citizens
Network (CCN), a group of 25 Wilmington residents, banded together
and formed a coalition to address the environmental concerns of the
town. Today, people are listening.
On March 2, round two for the coalition took place in a
packed room in Town Hall.
Intended as a small gathering, the meeting quickly took on a
larger scope as empty seats immediately filled. And the number of
people in attendance swelled to roughly 100. That nearly quadrupled
CCN's modest membership.
Residents made up the bulk of folks but other people
certainly stood out. In particular, the appearances by state Rep.
James Miceli, D-Wilmington, and state Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester,
helped to elevate the already anxious atmosphere of the room. Even
state Sen. Susan Tucker, D-Andover, who could not make it herself,
sent an aid, Jan Burkholder, in her place.
Representing the town, Selectman Michael Newhouse and Town
Manager Mike Caira were on hand. As were James Ficociello and Eugene
Kritter of the Board of Health, along with Public Health Director
Gregory Erickson.
Taking the lectern first was Judith Barber, Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) Service Center Director for Northeast
Offices.
"There's been a lot of issues that have surfaced in
Wilmington and Tewksbury and there's a lot of concern. [Now] the
next step is to form some groups to do something about it."
To the point, Barber quickly addressed one of the main goals
of the meeting, which was to establish an ongoing, effective
dialogue between residents and federal and state agents.
"Our purpose is to form an action group. What I've found is
that a point of frustration for citizens is that they will ask
questions and get the run around [from agencies].
"[Now] our purpose is to form an action group together and
plan and figure out where we can go from here."
The plan of action was to split up into four groups or
subcommittees, with each group focusing on a specific site.
The four sites are Rocco's Dump and McDonald Road, South
Wilmington, Kelly Hill, and other 21E miscellaneous sites. Each
group was designed to be co-chaired by a regulatory agent and a
resident. By doing this, CCN, along with federal and state agencies,
hoped that information between residents and agents would be
disseminated in an understandable and timely manner.
"I am confident that there'll be no failure to communicate,"
Barber predicted.
Regarding Rocco's Landfill and McDonald Road, the committee
was co-chaired by Gary Lipson, EPA's on-site coordinator for Rocco's
dump, and citizens, Judy Fittery of Tewksbury and Pat Pelosi of
Wilmington. Lipson could not attend the meeting, so Alice Kaufman,
also from the EPA, co-chaired in his place.
Theresa Cassidy of the state Department of Public Health
(DPH) and Valerie Damelio of Wilmington co-chaired the Kelly Hill
area.
South Wilmington was co-chaired by Chris Pyott, of the state
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Gerald O'Riley of
Wilmington.
Finally, the hodgepodge group which lumped various
contamination sites throughout Wilmington called the miscellaneous
"21E Sites" was handled by Dick Chaplin, the DEP's regional
engineer, and Suzanne Sullivan and Martha Stevenson, both of
Wilmington.
Once in the groups, people discussed the scope of their
committee, their goals and objectives, wrote a phone/e-mail list of
members, and arranged their next meeting.
Before breaking into groups, however, the crowd listened as
various federal and state agents took the floor to provide general
overviews of ongoing environmental investigations.
First, a watershed overview was given by Rick Tomczyk, who
used a blown-up map of the Aberjona River watershed as a visual.
Anna Mayor of the DEP gave a project manager's overview of
the Industriplex and Wells G & H in Woburn.
And Chris Pyott, an environmental analyst for the DEP who is
managing the clean-up of Olin Chemical, gave an update on efforts at
Olin.
Here is where the jargon got thick. While listening to a
discussion of watershed breaks, surface water, nitrates, and the
density of brine bodies, it was easy to detect darting eyes among
the audience and pens-in-hand furiously scribbling to get everything
down on paper.
And besides complex jargon, the basic translation of certain
clean-up efforts were sometimes downright difficult to discern.
For example, Water and Sewer Superintendent Michael Woods
took the helm to assuage fears that the town's drinking water is
indeed safe. Yet in perhaps an unintended confusing manner, he
explained, "We theorize that ammonia is being oxidized by some type
of biological act in a distribution system somewhere which is
causing ammonia to be broken down into nitrates."
Okay?
Then again, that's precisely why people were there: to grasp
and understand the technical sophistication of what has been dumped
in Wilmington and what it'll take to clean it up.
"It's important to understand the process," explained
Kathleen Barry, president of CCN, when she addressed the crowd. "[To
understand] all the politics and finances and all the kinds of stops
and bumps in the road."
One such bump is language. Often the language of a clean-up
process can be baffling to say the least. Case in point is Woods
aforementioned description.
Yet, Woods did clearly articulate that "the town's drinking
water has always met standards. There is no reason for any fear that
water can become contaminated.
"Water is fine and tastes good."
Still considering how circumspect investigations and their
correlating explanations can get, Barry encouraged residents to hang
in there, learn, grow, and above all be inventive.
"Respect the process but overcome it," she encouraged. "Step
over the stops and bumps and look for another avenue."
"I implore you all to throw away [your] resistance and
complacency and go forward to achieve [your] goals. Be persistent
and challenge yourself and everyone else around you to go forward."
Barry's supplications were particularly powerful. It makes
sense. She has a lot at stake. She's invested. This is her home. Her
community.
So when you heard her say, "Your concerns will be addressed."
Well, you somehow believed her.
Indeed, most people left the meeting buoyed by a rare and
unusual optimism.
After all, people are talking and community concerns are
being heard. Polluters are being made accountable and the government
is taking action.
Round three for CCN is set to take place in September.
In six months, it's hoped that all four committees will have
concrete strategies regarding their specific sites.
Until then, only time will tell whether or not the
appropriate and effective actions will take place.
Still one thing is certain. Wilmington is setting an example.
An example that while we undeniably possess the capability to
exploit our environment, we assuredly possess the capability to save
and preserve it too.
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