Kennedy Tours Walton & Lonsbury Site Tuesday

Congressman Joe Kennedy III was in Attleboro Tuesday afternoon to tour the Walton & Lonsbury site on North Ave.

The site was recently put on the Federal government's superfund priority list because of the extensive chemical cleanup required, and the years of research and additional work required to ensure environmental damage inflicted by the former chrome plant is fully complete.

The plant dumped hazardous wastes into the nearby wetlands in the southern portion of the property from 1940-1970. After 1970, wastes were disposed in other ways, many of which also had environmental consequences.

Immediate cleanup, which has been ongoing since 2007, is nearly complete and the imminent risks are all but gone, officials said Tuesday, but extensive cleanup could last up to a decade and cost tens of millions of dollars.

"My role in this is going to be supporting the state and federal individuals that have been so dedicated to this project over the past several years," Kennedy said. "We’re going to be working very hard on this in the community for years to come. They have my support. We’ll do what is necessary to make sure there is appropriate funding...This is one of the few things these days that should not be a partisan issue."

Kennedy was joined on the tour by Attleboro Mayor Kevin Dumas and Health Officer Chris Quinn, EPA Regional Administrator Curt Spaulding, and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Ken Kimmell.

Kimmell stressed this particular site's need for superfund funding.

"This one is rather unique because of the scope of the contamination and the fact that there is no responsible party to clean it up," he said. "From our point of view, just as the federal government steps in when there’s natural disasters and hurricanes and fires, there's always man-made disasters that are often beyond our capability of managing beyond a state-wide or local level. It’s great that we have a superfund program and we have the EPA responding to it and stepping into a capacity that is really bigger than a private party or the state can handle. We’re very appreciative of the Congressman’s support as well."

The Walton & Lonsbury site has been a cleanup site since 2007.

"We’ve come a very long way, thanks for some very dedicated individuals," Kennedy said. "We’re going to have a long way to go. I look forward to obviously doing whatever I can and whatever is necessary."