The EPA has decided to hold off until summer on proposing a plan for continued cleanup of Raymark’s legacy of contamination in Stratford, Connecticut. Raymark Brake Manufacturing operated a plant in Stratford from 1919 until 1989. At some point in the plant’s history, Raymark decided to deal with its waste products—which consisted largely of asbestos, lead and PCBs—by mixing the waste with dirt and giving it away to be used as construction fill. Raymark’s free fill has been found all over town in yards, parking lots, etc. In the 1990s, after the Raymark plant closed down, it was discovered that the contaminated fill had ruined the town’s water supply and that contact with the contaminated soil was dangerous. As a result, many Stratford property owners found that they could not sell or build on their land.
About $100 million was spent in the EPA’s cleanup of the original site of the Raymark plant and burying its contaminationed soil under the soccer and baseball fields at Short Beach and Raybestos Memorial Field. The EPA’s cleanup fund only has about $21 million left. Residents are waiting for the EPA’s proposal for dealing with about 26 additional properties clustered along Ferry Boulevard and East Main Street.
The EPA has argued that it would be most cost-effective to open up the old sites at the sports fields and add additional contaminated material to them. But residents have protested reopening the sites because of health concerns and concerns about the effect on all depressed property values. Instead, they want the waste left underground where it is or taken out of Stratford altogether. The delay is intended to let the EPA try to address residents’ concerns and find a solution that will work for everyone.
For the full story, go to the Stratford Bard.
