State DEQE Confirms Seepage is Harmless-July 29, 1981

Seepage at Norwood Park South is Harmless Iron Leachate

The state Department of Environmental Quality Engineering (DEQE) has formally confirmed that the unusual orange-colored seepage discovered at Norwood Park South consists entirely of iron leachate and poses absolutely no threat to public health.

DEQE spokeswoman Mary Lou Mottola stated, It is not hazardous and poses no threat to public health, reassuring local officials and residents.

The confirmation came as the Norwood Planning Board voted during their Monday night meeting to refuse the release of $70,000 in municipal funds to Barletta Construction Co. for work previously completed at the site. Barletta Construction Co., having successfully finished road construction and other preliminary infrastructure work for the industrial park, was seeking the $70,000 disbursement to pay off local subcontractors. However, Planning Board Chairman E. William Bamber maintained that any environmental issues or problems arising from the orange seepage are strictly the responsibility of the developer rather than the town, emphasizing that he wanted to be entirely certain of the town’s legal and financial responsibilities before any public funds are released.

The six-acre industrial site had a complex environmental history, having been utilized as a commercial waste disposal site for fifty years by the historic Bird and Son Co. of neighboring Walpole until operations ceased in the early 1970s. State environmental officials explained that iron leachate is a naturally occurring chemical byproduct commonly found at former landfill and waste disposal sites when groundwater interacts with buried iron-rich materials. While state regulators cleared the substance of health risks, the planning board’s cautious hold on funds highlighted ongoing local oversight regarding industrial development and municipal liabilities across Norwood.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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