Natick Laboratory Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center

Overview

The Natick Laboratory Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center is a 78-acre federal facility on a peninsula in Natick, Massachusetts. It has been on the National Priorities List since May 1994. The Army is responsible for cleanup, and the EPA serves as the lead regulatory agency. The site remains an active Army research and testing facility.

Contaminants include volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene, heavy metals including arsenic, chromium, and lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. These contaminants affect groundwater, soil, lake sediments, and fish tissue. Groundwater in the T-25 area also contains 1,4-dioxane, dieldrin, and p,p'-DDT, among other chemicals. Sediments and fish tissue from Pegan Cove in Lake Cochituate contained PCBs.

The site is divided into five operable units. A groundwater pump-and-treat system has operated since 1997, extracting and treating contaminated water using air stripping and carbon adsorption. Treated water is reused for non-potable purposes, with overflow discharged to Lake Cochituate. Soil removal actions between 2002 and 2014 excavated roughly 4,747 tons of contaminated soil from five areas. PCB-contaminated sediments were dredged from Pegan Cove in 2010, achieving cleanup goals below 1 ppm PCB concentration. Sitewide construction was completed in December 2014. The Army completed groundwater system upgrades in July 2022 to improve plume capture and treatment efficiency.

Human exposure is under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Soil and sediment areas have met cleanup goals. Groundwater cleanup is ongoing, with completion expected by 2030. Institutional controls prohibit new private drinking water wells and restrict groundwater use across a defined area that includes parts of Natick. These controls will remain in place as long as contamination or cleanup components are present on the site. A five-year review completed in April 2022 confirmed short-term protection is in place. The next review is estimated between April and June 2027.

Community members can review site records at two public information repositories: the Morse Institute Library at 14 East Central Street in Natick, and the U.S. Army Natick Soldiers Systems Center at 10 General Greene Avenue in Natick. No public meetings are currently scheduled. The Army will organize meetings when appropriate. Questions can be directed to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager, or to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.