Contaminated Soil Found in Dartmouth, Residents React
By: Tim Studebaker
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DARTMOUTH, MASS. (WLNE) – Families in the Bliss Corner section of Dartmouth voiced their concerns Wednesday over news from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection of the discovery of a laundry list of chemicals in the soil near their homes.
Nathan Silveira owns a home nearby. He says, “It’s a pretty serious condition, and I hope everything gets taken care of.”
The problem was discovered as new homes were being built there.
Al Jaynes owns a business nearby. He says, “They were working on those houses, pumping them out, building, building, building. And then all of a sudden, all the building just stopped. And we didn’t know why until yesterday.”
The state was called in to investigate an odor, and without giving exact addresses, they say they found containers leaking oily liquids; discolored soil; broken glass; scrap metal; bricks; shingles; and a tar like material. All of those materials may date back to the 1930s.
Jaynes says, “How do you clean that stuff up after the houses are built? You can’t.”
They tested the soil and found higher–than–acceptable levels of the following chemicals:
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Barium
- Chromium
- Vanadium
- Zinc
That discovery has neighbors concerned.
Jaynes says, “Keep it down there.”
Silveira says, “As long as it’s not in my yard, I’ll be happy, you know?”
The state stresses it’s early in the investigation. They want to find out exactly what’s there, where it came from, and how to get rid of it.
Jaynes says, “Nobody’s going to want to spend the money to clean this area, so it’ll end up being all vacant lots.”
If you’re concerned, the state has set up a website specifically for residents of that neighborhood: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/bliss-corner-neighborhood-dartmouth-ma
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019
