Public Water Line, Superfund Site Topic of June 6 Public Meeting

The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting next month in Durham to update residents on the cleanup of the Durham Meadows Superfund site and plans to extend public water supply from Middletown to areas around the site.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, June 6 at Coginchaug High School at 7 p.m.

Cleanup work at the former Merriam Manufacturing Company site located on Main Street is complete and the property is now for sale.

The EPA is currently working through the design phase of a water line that will tap into Middletown's water supply and run through the center of Durham. The water line is being designed for about 100 homes and businesses impacted by soil contamination.
 
As part of its preliminary work, the EPA will begin drilling work in June or July "along the water line route in order to assess the condition of underlying soils," according to information provided by the EPA.

The drilling along Route 17 will take approximately two weeks.

"Drilling work is noisy, but is expected to move fairly quickly, so it is unlikely that anyone living along Route 17 will hear drilling for more than one day," the EPA says.

The EPA expects to have a design ready in early 2014. The project will be funded at the federal and state level.

In January, the U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with Merriam Manufacturing Company, Aztec Industries LLC and the Estate of Allan Adams which requires the defendants to turn over proceeds from insurance claims or sale of properties at the Superfund site.

Agencies are currently in settlement discussions with Durham Manufacturing Company, the EPA says.