Solvents Recovery Service of New England

Overview

Solvents Recovery Service of New England ran a hazardous waste treatment facility in Southington, Connecticut from the late 1950s until 1991. The site landed on the National Priorities List in 1983 after spills and poorly managed waste disposal contaminated local soil and groundwater, forcing the closure of two town drinking water wells in 1979. Today the site is in the long-term operation and maintenance phase, with construction fully complete as of September 2018 and a sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status reached in September 2023.

EPA identified more than 180 contaminants of concern across groundwater, soil, sediment, and surface water at the site. Groundwater contains solvents such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, vinyl chloride, and toluene. Soil holds polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides including DDT, metals such as lead and mercury, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Sediment and surface water also carry PCBs, metals, and other industrial chemicals. Dense and light non-aqueous phase liquids, meaning oily contaminant layers that do not mix with water, have been found as well.

Cleanup has unfolded in phases over several decades. A court-ordered groundwater pump-and-treat system started running in 1986. In 1995, a slurry wall was installed to contain shallow groundwater, and an ultraviolet oxidation treatment upgrade followed. From 2014 to 2015, thermal treatment heated buried waste oils and solvents in place to break them down. A soil cap went up in summer 2017, and solar panels were added to that cap in September 2018 to power ongoing operations. Since August 2018, extracted groundwater has been treated at the Town of Southington's own facility rather than onsite. Property and groundwater use restrictions are in place across the site.

EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site and that groundwater contamination is stabilized within its original area. Pump-and-treat work will continue for many years to reach final cleanup levels, and the bedrock aquifer is being monitored for natural degradation of remaining contamination. The most recent five-year review was completed on September 15, 2025. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is using funds from responsible parties to restore ecological habitat, and a new section of the 80-mile Farmington Canal Heritage Trail will cross the site, bringing recreational access to the area.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are available at the Southington Public Library at 225 Main Street or at EPA Region 1's records center in Boston at 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100, 1st Floor.