For more than a decade, parts of Nonantum have undergone intermittent testing for trichloroethylene, a toxic chemical. Last week, a new round of drilling on Cook Street prompted confusion and concern, and residents gathered on Sunday, April 26 at Pellegrini Park for a community meeting led by Arcadis, the engineering firm overseeing the testing.
Janet Keating-Connolly, technical expert at Arcadis overseeing much of the testing, fielded questions from residents. Among the first to speak was Terry Sauro, president of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association.
Testing history
Prior to the meeting, Sauro told Fig City News she first became aware of the issue several years ago, after a house on Bridge Street was demolished and the tenants inside the building next to it were forced to leave due to contamination. She later contacted Ward 1 City Councilor Alison Leary, who told her the state had found trichloroethylene (TCE) in the soil at the site.
The chemical is a colorless, toxic solvent commonly used in industrial applications. It can evaporate from contaminated soil or groundwater and enter buildings as a vapor.
The investigation into TCE in Nonantum dates back more than a decade. In 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) renewed an investigation at a former auto-parts site on West Street after elevated levels of the chemical were found in groundwater. This spurred broader testing across the neighborhood.
The MassDEP has continued to sponsor testing for TCE in Nonantum by installing monitoring wells to help identify the source of the contamination. Earlier stages of the work were conducted by a different consultant before Arcadis took over. Testing later expanded to include nearby homes.
More than 160 buildings were tested for TCE vapors, with more than 90% showing no detectable levels.
In cases where vapors were detected, mitigation systems were installed beneath buildings to vent contaminated gases above the roofline and prevent them from entering indoor air.
TCE has been associated with certain cancers and other health risks at various levels of exposure.
In recent years, visible testing activity in the neighborhood has slowed. But in the past week, large drilling rigs appeared on Cook Street, catching residents off guard.
“All of a sudden, it’s coming back,” Sauro said.
Sauro, who lives on Cook Street, said residents were not notified in advance and were alarmed when the equipment appeared. Neighbors were knocking on her door to see if she knew what was going on.
“We had no notices. Nothing,” Sauro said.
Multiple drill sites were set up along Cook Street. Sauro has requested additional testing at her own home and was told results from the latest round of testing could be available within a few weeks.
Sauro said that residents had previously received regular email updates about testing, but that communication became less consistent after Arcadis took over work in the area.
She said she later contacted Keating-Connolly who told her recent testing on nearby Green Street had detected elevated levels of TCE, prompting additional drilling.
The meeting
At the community meeting Sunday afternoon, residents took turns raising concerns, many of which centered on the need for clearer and more consistent communication from both the City and Arcadis about the testing process. Keating-Connolly acknowledged the concerns and said the team would work to improve transparency.
She said they start with notifying the state (MassDEP) and the City (Mayor, health department)and then they notify members through email as well as mailing letters to everyone who is on the mailing list.
City Councilors Alison Leary, John Oliver, Pam Wright, and Julia Malakie were among the officials in attendance.
Leary said she plans to advocate on the issue alongside fellow Ward 1 Councilors, while Dana Hanson, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, said the City would work to improve communication with residents moving forward.
Keating-Connolly said the project is in Phase 2 of five phases, focused on understanding the extent of TCE contamination and identifying its source.
Residents also asked what qualifies as an elevated level. Keating-Connolly said thresholds are defined by the MassDEP based on indoor air standards, and that testing is conducted across seasons to account for changing conditions, with monitoring systems used to detect potential vapor intrusion.
In addition, residents asked how quickly testing is conducted and when they should consider having their homes evaluated. Keating-Connolly said that when groundwater samples exceed certain thresholds – such as five micrograms per liter – nearby homes are evaluated for potential vapor intrusion. She added that groundwater in the area is not used for drinking, and that ongoing work includes repeated sampling of both wells and indoor air to track conditions over time.
After the meeting
After the meeting, about a dozen residents living on Cook Street asked Keating-Connolly for their houses to be tested.
Following the meeting, Sauro said she appreciated receiving more information and clarity about the testing, but still felt communication from the City and Arcadis needs to improve.
Other residents remained frustrated. Nonantum resident Fran Yerardi said the response so far has fallen short.
“They are doing the bare minimum,” he said.
Yerardi said he was dismayed that the project remains in Phase 2 after more than a decade of on-and-off testing, particularly if the cleanup is expected to take five phases.
Gesturing to a friend beside him, he added, “We were just talking about it, we’re like we’ll be dead by then.”
Al Cecchinelli, who spoke during the meeting, said afterward that he was frustrated with how the issue has been handled.
He said one of the wells with the highest levels of trichloroethylene is a few houses away from his, and that several nearby homes have also had contamination.
“It’s disgusting,” Cecchinelli said.
Cecchinelli said he was unaware the recent drilling on Cook Street was for testing until he saw a Facebook post from Sauro. “I thought they were drilling for oil,” he said.
“The frustration level is ginormous,” Cecchinelli said.
