Hazardous material found on MBTA site

(In and of itself, this is a relatively minor story, except that it brushes the tip of a very large problem which comes to light later. The real significance of the story is that it brought the reporter to the dumping site where he spoke with Richard Chalpin, an official in charge of environmental investigations for that region of the state. The reporter noted to Chalpin that there were two municipal water wells less than a mile downstream along the banks of the Aberjona River and asked if the state planned to test those wells. The answer was "Yes," and Pandora's box was opened. Two weeks later on May 22, after those tests, the two wells were closed, permanently.)

By CHARLES C. RYAN

WOBURN - State and local officials are investigating an illegal dump containing some 184, 55-gallon drums filled with hazardous material located on the MBTA depot site on Mishawum Road.

According to Woburn Board of Health Inspector Edwin Walker, an employee of the MBTA engaged in supervising the demolition of the former Martignetti building at 275 Mishawum Road spotted the cache of barrels Friday morning and notified the Board of Health.

Inspector Walker visited the site along with Police Inspector John Gibbons and they found a total of 184 barrels filled, "with some kind of resins."

Several of the barrels had labels listing a Reading chemical firm and Inspector Gibbons went to Reading to speak with officials of the chemical company while Walker called the State Division of Environmental Quality Engineering (DEQE).

"They came out right away," said Walker and by 4:30 Friday afternoon, a representative of the DEQE had called the Woburn Police Department and advised them and the fire department to keep residents away from the area because of the "hazardous materials."

Inspector Gibbons learned from officials of Trancoa Chemical Co. on Ash Street, Reading that some of the barrels were formerly owned by that firm.

Inspector Walker said that a Trancoa representative visited the dumping site and examined the barrels, but indicated they had been paying "a reputable firm" to dispose of their wastes for the past several years.

The former Martignetti site has been abandoned for about two years and officials are attempting to track down and determine how the barrels were dumped there.

"They are piled in clumps of ten barrels along Route 128," explained Walker, "along the perimeter of the lot."

At this point, state and local officials are uncertain exactly what the barrels contain other than some form of solvents.

Trancoa Chemical is involved in the manufacturing of polyurethane products, according to Walker.

"There's only one place in the state which can handle the disposal of certain hazardous materials," he said.

Until state officials determine exactly what the barrels contain, they can't be certain of how to properly dispose of the material.

And, once the chemicals are identified, some one has to pay for the disposal.

"At this point we don't know if it will be the chemical company, the MBTA, the state or the city," said Walker.

On Saturday, Gerald McCall, regional supervisor for the DEQE, inspected the site along with William Nieman who is in charge of the Woburn pumping station and the distribution of drinking water to the entire city.

Walker, who also visited the site Saturday, said they were checking to be certain that the chemicals were not leaking into the ground to pollute the ground water the city draws upon when G well is in operation in East Woburn.

He said it did not seem that any of the barrels were leaking.

Since the drums of hazardous materials were found, Walker said the MBTA, which recently acquired the site to build a commuter depot, has been posting a guard on the grounds.

"We're right on top of it," explained Walker who indicated that as soon as the chemicals are identified a decision would be made about how to dispose of the 184 drums safely.

The Aberjona River runs from Woburn to Winchester and into the Mystic Lakes.