2006 Demonstration Project
Nutmeg Valley Road:
Wolcott, Connecticut
THE SITE: The 28-acre Nutmeg Valley Road site has been home to
metalworking and finishing shops since the 1940s. Two machine shops with
a known history of dumping waste oil and solvents on the ground became the
focus of attention when private drinking water wells in the area were found to
be contaminated. EPA listed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in
1989. In 1992, during an emergency removal action, approximately 1,150 tons
of sludge waste and contaminated soil were removed from two unlined lagoons.
This action addressed surface soil contamination and removed a potential source
of ground water contamination. Studies have revealed no evidence of a wide-
spread contaminated ground water plume, and contaminant levels are naturally
decreasing over time. EPA determined that existing state law and a local ground
water ordinance adopted by the Town of Wolcott in 2004 prohibiting the use
of ground water at the site, when considered together, will prevent exposures.
EPA's 2004 Record of Decision stated that no further action was necessary to
make the site protective of human health and the environment. Because EPA's
determination of no further action relies in part on laws already in place, EPA
will review the protectiveness of this remedy every five years.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Some commercial and light industrial businesses
continued to operate, but some of the Nutmeg Valley Road site remained
vacant. Town officials have targeted the area for revitalization efforts intended
to stimulate commercial and industrial growth in the area and raise the tax base
for the Town of Wolcott.
THE BARRIER: According to business owners, the site's Superfund
designation made it difficult to secure loans to maintain and improve properties
on the site. Other owners were unable to sell their businesses because of
perceived stigma. Buildings were abandoned and fell into disrepair.
THE SOLUTION: EPA Region 1 deleted the Nutmeg Valley Road site from
the NPL in September 2005 and issued a site reuse profile shortly thereafter.
This document provides site history, an environmental summary, and reuse
status. The Town of Wolcott also made infrastructure improvements to area
roads, and has offered visual enhancement incentives, such as debris pickup
and free paint for property owners.
THE SITE NOW: With more readily available site information and the recent
NPL deletion, the Town expects consumer confidence to improve and the
commercial/industrial park to thrive. In 2009, town officials applied to the state
of Connecticut through its Small Town Economic Assistance Program to make
further improvements to improve drainage and resurface roads in and around
# •*
Barrier:
Superfund site stigma
Solution:
Deletion of site from
National Priorities List; clear
communication about site in a site
reuse profile
Nutmeg \taHey Superfum
Properties contained within the ICZ
Industrial Zoning General Commercial Zorw
Before:
Partially vacant industrial facility,
protective for commercial and
industrial uses; some buildings in
disrepair
After:
Expected revitalization of a
commercial and industrial park
united btates
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
J
updated August 2009
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the site, and to extend the public water line to the residential properties immediately upgradient of the site. In addition.
a $2 million state-of-the-art greenhouse is being built on a parcel that abuts the site, a development that local officials
attribute in part to the site's delisting in 2005.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: John Podgurksi, Region 1 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at
(617) 918-1296 or podgurski.john(g),epa.gov. or Karen Lumino, Remedial Project Manager, at lumino.karen(g),epa.gov or
(617)918-1348.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated August 2009
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