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EPA to Remove Hazardous Waste from a Former Oil Storage Facility in Woburn, Mass.

Release Date: 08/27/2007
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine (617) 918-1027

(Boston—August 27, 2007) The U.S. EPA has announced that beginning today, August 27, 2007, EPA and its contractors will begin work to carry out a short-term cleanup at the Murphy property in Woburn, Mass.

The Murphy Property, located at 263 Salem Street Site is an inactive, privately owned waste oil hauling and storage facility that is about one acre in size in a primarily commercial area of Woburn, Massachusetts. EPA and its contractors will sample and remove soil, drums and other containers of hazardous substances to an approved disposal facility. Removal activities are expected to last three months. EPA has approved up to $1,150,000 for these actions.

“EPA is committed to protecting the health, welfare and the environment of the citizens of Woburn. Conducting the removal phase of cleanup activities is a very important step towards achieving final cleanup of the site,” said Robert Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.”

“We intend to fully cooperate with the EPA in the cleanup of this site,” said Mayor Thomas McLaughlin.

The Murphy Property has a two-story residence with a separate workshop behind it and several bulk and above ground storage tanks. The grounds are known to be contaminated with high levels of PCBs and lead, which pose a threat to human health and the environment. This includes the Aberjona River which is within 700 feet of the property. The cleanup is working with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Woburn to mitigate these threats through the removal process.

Related information:
Cleanup Process
Short-Term Cleanups
PCB's
Lead