The Site is defined as the point of release and
where hazardous substances have come to be located, thus it includes a former gun
range (the point of release) – the Source Property – and the impacted abutting
properties where contamination has come to rest, the Groton Senior Center and a
private residence. Located at 159 West Main Street, in Groton, Middlesex
County, Massachusetts, the Source Property consists of a 7.09-acre parcel of
land identified by the Groton Assessor’s Office on Tax Map 106 as Lot 33-0.
The Source Property contains forest, wetland, a pond, a segment
of Wrangling Brook, as well as a vacant 1,466-square-foot single-story building
and northeast of it, the former outdoor shooting range. The Source Property is
bordered by the Groton Senior Center to the north and northeast; forested and
wetland areas to the west and southwest; and by West Main Street and residential
properties to the south, southeast, and east.
The Source Property formerly operated as the
Squannacook Sportsmans Club from July 1959 until October 2002 and included outdoor
and indoor shooting ranges. The indoor shooting range was located in a 1,466-square
foot single-story building, which still stands. The Site also includes the
adjacent Groton Senior Center and a residential property.
On
May 6, 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
referred the Site to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Based on
the sampling and analysis from an assessment that was performed by the Town of
Groton in 2021 under an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant, the Licensed Site Professional
(LSP) indicated there was an increased presence of lead in surface soil (0 – 1 foot
depth).
The Administrative Record -- Collection 67255 -- is available for review online at:
or using this QR Code.
Site Updates
October 27, 2023: EPA has completed removal activities at the former Squannacook Sportsmans Club Site and is in the process of demobilizing equipment and materials from the site. All equipment and materials are expected to be off the site by mid-November, pending any delays.
September 18, 2023: Starting Monday, September 18, 2023, there will be an increase in truck traffic around the Squannacook Sportsmans Club site, as transportation and disposal (T&D) activities of staged lead and arsenic contaminated soil will commence. T&D is planned Monday-Thursday, 0700-1730 and is expected to be complete by the end of the day Thursday, September 21, 2023 pending any delays.
June 9, 2023: Starting Monday June 12, 2023, there will be an increase in truck traffic around the Squannacook Sportsmans Club site, as transportation and disposal (T&D) activities of staged lead and arsenic contaminated soil will commence. T&D is planned Monday-Thursday, 0700-1730 and is expected to be complete in a week or two, pending any delays.
March 29, 2023: EPA announces a remobilization on the construction work at the Squannacook
Sportsman Club removal site. Work will resume on April 5th, 2023. Work to be conducted this spring will be as follows:
- removing low lying vegetation and/or trees as necessary,
- excavation of contaminated soil,
- backfilling excavated areas,
- transportation and disposal of contaminated soil,
- confirmatory sampling in excavated areas,
- and restoring the site at the end of the job.
Work is anticipated to be complete during the summer of 2023, pending delays outside of EPAs control.
February 23, 2023: EPA
temporarily shut down removal activities at the Squannacook Sportsmans Club
site on January 20, 2023 due to the winter season. The following work has been
accomplished:
- Indoor shooting range
- Lead contaminated soil above concentrations of concern have been removed and building is secured
- Outdoor shooting range
- Silt fencing has been erected along the perimeter of the work area
- Low lying vegetation has been removed in the work area and a temporary road has been installed
- Lead contaminated soil above concentrations of concern have been removed from the berm and the area adjacent to the berm
- Soil removed from the indoor shooting range and berm area of the outdoor shooting range have been transported off-site to an approved facility
