Neighbors joined officials alongside the Neponset River in Hyde Park last Friday to mark a milestone as the federally led program has cleaned up a key section of the river that was left contaminated by decades of industrial waste.

The site in question, on Fairmount Court off River Street and once home to the Lewis Chemical Corporation, was the target of a $3.9 million project, part of a bigger, longer-term “Superfund” effort to clean up the Lower Neponset that is being overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sites in Mattapan, Dorchester, and Milton will be addressed in the months and years to come.

The Lewis Corporation site has been closed since an explosion took place there in 1983, but when the business was active it was spread over three properties in Hyde Park abutting the river.

Testing later showed that soil at portions of the site was contaminated with Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds, and metals – all harmful to human and animal life.

In January 2023, the EPA approved the contract to remove contaminated soil from the river and from around the site itself. Contractors working for the agency have since excavated and removed more than 5,000 tons of contaminated soil from the properties.

“The goal of EPA’s cleanup program is to protect human health and the environment,” said David W. Cash, regional administrator for the EPA in New England. “Cleaning up contaminated sites and giving them back to the community.”

He added: “When we begin work at a Superfund site, we begin with the most important thing to build. It’s not structures, but trust and relationships with the communities impacted by our work.”

Stephanie Cooper, the state’s Undersecretary for Environment, hailed the Hyde Park clean-up as the latest victory for a decades-long effort to make the Neponset cleaner and more accessible.

“I heard people talk about what they wanted here and that’s the next phase of painting this beautiful clean canvas. It’s what people want to see and experience here,” she said. “We know the completion of this cleanup will unlock the full potential of this river and the full potential for people to enjoy it and experience nature close to home, which is so important to our well-being and the well-being of the environment.”

Vivien Morris serves on an advisory group for the Lower Neponset River Superfund. “This is a 3.7-mile stretch that affects our neighborhoods in Hyde Park, Mattapan, Dorchester, and Milton,” she said.

Friday’s press conference highlighted the next steps in the Superfund effort, which will be at the northern bank of the river at Riverside Square in Hyde Park, where the EPA has approved an additional $4.9 million to remove and dispose of soil contaminated with PCBs and metals. 

“While the land here has been cleared of contaminants and the Riverside Square Site will be cleared in the years ahead,” said Mayor Wu on Friday, “the Lower Neponset River as a whole still needs a lot of work to become the beautiful treasure it once was and that we know it once more can be for all of our community members. For too long our residents have lived with the consequences of actions they had nothing to do with.” 

For his part, Cash noted that “while this work takes place we’re continuing to make progress on the long-term cleanup of the lower Neponset River superfund site.”

So far, the team has completed an evaluation of the first mile upstream of the T & H Dam and will soon decide to keep or remove the facility. Decisions for the final 2.7 miles leading to the Walter Baker Dam in Lower Mills will be made based on evidence collected in the coming weeks and months.

Cash is hopeful the river will one day be restored and returned to the community. “Cleaning up contaminated sites and advancing environmental justice ensures that everyone regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status can thrive in clean and safe communities,” he said.