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EPA to Start Cleanup at New London Pollution Site

Release Date: 08/07/2001
Contact Information: Mark Merchant, EPA Press Office (617) 918-1013

NEW LONDON – The Environmental Protection Agency will begin work this week on a $400,000 clean up at a residential and commercial waste site in New London, Conn.

Located on a third of an acre on Truman Street in New London, the property was used by an auto parts and battery company until it closed in 1970. Auto parts and battery wastes containing heavy metal including lead, chromium and cadmium were disposed of near the company property.

Beginning Aug. 8, EPA contractors will conduct detailed soil sampling at the site to determine the extent of contamination on the surface and subsurface of the site.

The contractors may dress in impermeable, white Tyvek suits. They will collect samples and analyze them in a mobile laboratory.

As part of the cleanup efforts, EPA will:

• Secure the site to prevent unauthorized access. This may include posting signs and installing a temporary fence.
  
• Investigate the underground storage tank on the property and determine if steps are needed to dispose of any petroleum product in the tank
  
• Conduct soil sampling and depending on the findings from the soil study, EPA may excavate and dispose of contaminated soils to ensure that people do not come in contact with contaminated soils.