The Omo Manufacturing Site, (the Site) is located at 50 Walnut Street, Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut. The property is identified by the City of Middletown Tax Assessor’s Map No. 34 as Block No. 24-7, Lot No. 9. The Site is bordered to the north by River Road, railroad tracks, and the Connecticut River, to the east by Walnut Street, to the south by Route 9, and to the west by a drainage ditch, Sumner Brook, and Route 9.
The Site consists of approximately 10.2 acres of land. The eastern portion of the property houses two buildings (Building No. 1 and 2), which the property owner currently leases out to several small businesses. A 2- to 4- acre area on the western portion of the property was a former wetland and known area of past landfilling activities.
The Site was originally the location of Omo Manufacturing Company, a rubber and artificial leather factory that was built in the late 1800s. Prior to the 1930's the western portion of the Site was a wetland area. In the early 1930's to approximately 1955, the wetlands were used by the City of Middletown (the City) as a municipal landfill. According to the property owner, the municipal landfill accepted industrial wastes from various facilities. Waste oils, paints, and refuse from the rubber manufacturing process were allegedly disposed of on the property. In 1955, during the construction of Route 9, the State of Connecticut altered the topography of the property, including modifying the course of Sumner Brook and introducing a drainage ditch, both located directly west of the property. Various owners have come to own the Site since the relocation of the municipal landfill. The current owner rents interior and exterior space to various tenants.
In April 2009, the Site was referred by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP) to the EPA Removal Program for a removal evaluation.
