The Blackburn and Union Privileges site sits in a primarily residential area of Walpole, Massachusetts, and has a long industrial history stretching back to the 17th century. Operations there included snuff production, ironworks, tanneries, and, beginning in 1915, the manufacture of asbestos brake linings by Standard Woven Fabric Co. The site was added to the National Priorities List in May 1994. A formal remedial investigation began in September 1999, and the EPA selected a final cleanup remedy in September 2008.
Contamination at the site spans soil, groundwater, and soil gas. EPA identified 33 contaminants of concern, including asbestos, lead, arsenic, chromium, nickel, antimony, manganese, benzene, trichloroethene, dichloromethane, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo(a)pyrene. A caustic spill also created high-pH groundwater that could harm aquatic life in the nearby Neponset River if left untreated.
Cleanup construction ran from June 2011 through April 2020. Workers excavated and disposed of contaminated soil by 2018 and removed contaminated sediment from Lewis Pond, a downstream Neponset River impoundment, with wetland restoration finishing in 2019 and monitoring wrapping up in late 2024. A groundwater treatment facility built in 2019 captures, treats, and discharges affected water before it can reach the river. Consolidated asbestos-contaminated soils are protected by a 30-inch soil cover and an aluminum plate arch. The Town of Walpole now owns several parcels and has built a senior center and police station on the remediated land. As of December 2024, two on-site businesses employed 46 people.
EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the site and that groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site was declared ready for anticipated reuse in September 2021. Two Notices of Activity and Use Limitation, recorded in 2021, restrict child-sensitive uses such as residences, schools, and daycares while allowing commercial, municipal, industrial, and passive uses. The site remains on the National Priorities List. A five-year review was completed on March 19, 2025, and an Explanation of Significant Differences is estimated between September and November 2026. A proposal from 2023 would remove a Neponset River culvert nearing the end of its design life and restore the river through the western portion of the site.
Community members can review site documents at the Walpole Public Library at 143 School Street or at the EPA Region 1 records center at 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 in Boston. Additional information is available at www.epa.gov/superfund/blackburn. Community members with questions can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator, Liz McCarthy, and the Remedial Project Manager, Daniel Lafrance.
