SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Emergency and
Remedial Response
(5201 G)
July 2000
Superfund Redevelopment
n//nWells G & H
/ HUI&	Woburn, MA
EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) is a nationally coordinated effort to facilitate the return of Superfund
sites to productive use by selecting response actions consistent with anticipated use. The SRI Pilots are intended to
help local governments enhance their involvement in the Superfund decision-making process by assisting EPA in
predicting future land uses for Superfund sites. Under the Pilot Program, EPA will provide up to $100,000 in financial
assistance and/or services to local governments for specified activities. Applicants are offered several types of program
assistance, including funding through a cooperative agreement, access to facilitation services, and/or the availability of
personnel under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA).
BACKGROUND
EPA selected the City of Woburn, Massachusetts, for a
Superfund Redevelopment Pilot. Woburn is home to the
Wells G & H Superfund site. Wells G & H were two
municipal wells built in 1964 and 1967 to supplement
the city's water supply. The wells supplied 30 percent
of the city's drinking water. In 1979, city police
discovered several 55-gallon drums of industrial waste
on a vacant lot near the wells. These drums were
removed, and the nearby Wells G & H were tested and
found to be contaminated with volatile organic
chemicals. Both wells were shut down in 1979. The
site received national attention in the 1980s when
several potentially responsible parties settled with
plaintiffs representing six families whose children had
died of leukemia, allegedly caused by drinking the
contaminated well water. In September 1983, EPA
added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites
needing cleanup. In the late 1990s, this story again
was brought into the public limelight through the book
and major motion picture, A Civil Action.
OBJECTIVES
The City of Woburn plans to use Pilot funds to develop
a reuse plan to help determine reasonable future uses
for the municipal parcels and adjacent properties
affected by contamination from the site. Also, the city
will involve the community and other stakeholders in
the reuse decision-making process, including
developing a land-use plan and participating in city-
sponsored and EPA public meetings.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Contacts:
Don Berger	Superfund Hotline:
U.S. EPA Region 1 (800) 424-9346 or
(617) 918-1351
berger.don@epa.gov reuse.info@epa.gov
(703) 412-9810 (DC Metro Area)
Applicant Name: Woburn, MA
Anticipated Award: Cooperative Agreement
($100,000)
Site Name: Wells G & H
Profile: The city will involve the community in
developing a plan for future uses for the site.
Date of Selection: July 2000
Wells G & H
Boston
Visit the EPA Superfund Redevelopment Web site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/pilot.htm

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