The U.S. EPA celebrated the completion of approximately 6 miles of waterline to provide a safe, sustainable drinking water supply to properties impacted by the contamination at the Durham Meadows Superfund Site in Connecticut.
According to the EPA news release, the waterline runs from the city of Middletown to the town of Durham and a 790,000-gallon water storage tank was installed after widespread contamination from industrial activities in Durham Center.
"The system includes new connections for 119 properties, including Coginchaug High School and Strong Middle School, and provides clean water for the 84 existing customers of the Durham Center Water Service, including the historic Durham Agricultural Fairground," states the EPA news release.
"Today exemplifies the power and potential of environmental partnership," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash in the news release. "After decades of hard work from local, state, and federal partners, as well as additional funding provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we ensured that we all delivered on our promise to Durham. The town of Durham now has a sustainable, expandable, and, more importantly, safe source of water."
Construction began in September 2019. Only a portion of the groundwater and soil cleanup, as well as remaining construction work, is ongoing, and will likely be fully complete in 2023.
EPA adds that Durham successfully delivered clean, safe drinking water from the city of Middletown on July 18, 2022.
The new system can support expansion, such as areas targeted by the additional $3,412,455 in Congressional Earmark funding that will be provided to Durham and managed through EPA's water program, reports EPA.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invested $37.3 million to fund Superfund cleanups in Connecticut and the Durham Meadows Superfund Site received $4.3 million to address the legacy groundwater and soil contamination at the site, adds EPA.
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"Today is a momentous day for the people of Durham. Clean safe drinking water is an absolute necessity and for years, the people of Durham Center had to rely on heavy duty filters or bottled water to drink and cook. It is truly wonderful to see a final resolution to a decades long legal battle and environmental cleanup. I thank all of our local, state and federal partners for seeing this project through and providing real relief to the community," said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
"Local, state, and federal agencies have worked for decades to ensure the people of Durham and Middletown have access to safe, sustainable drinking water, and the finish line is finally in sight. The completion of this project will not only bring clean drinking water to the community, but also create new opportunities for economic growth," said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy.
"For decades, the residents and businesses of downtown Durham have struggled with contaminated groundwater issues stemming from the Durham Meadows Superfund Site," said U.S. Congresswoman and House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro. "I am proud to work with the town of Durham, the city of Middletown, as well as federal and state agencies to address the critical need of bringing safe, clean drinking water to these homes and businesses. This collaborative effort ensures much needed infrastructure improvements to residents in Middletown – this is about protecting the health and wellbeing of our community. The Durham Waterline Project allows the town of Durham to extend public water to homes and businesses outside of the Durham Meadows footprint, a project that I supported with more than $3 million in community project funding in this year's federal spending bill."
"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and our technical experts are honored to collaborate with the EPA, Connecticut DEEP, and all the other state and local stakeholders, through countless hours of partnership and hard work, to deliver clean drinking water to the people of Durham, Connecticut," said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England Commander and District Engineer Colonel John A. Atilano II. "The EPA and USACE have a very long and successful history together when it comes to environmental cleanup. We appreciate that the EPA entrusts us with projects like Durham Meadows because they know we have experienced professionals with the expertise to manage large projects. I want to thank our Durham Meadows Superfund Team for all of their outstanding work on this important project from start to finish, and we look forward to our continued partnership with EPA on our other ongoing projects."
"The Connecticut Department of Public Health is delighted to have been part of the multi-jurisdictional team whose efforts culminated in safe water flowing from Middletown to Durham," said Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. "Years ago, movement of the contamination plume in Durham kickstarted concerted efforts to look for a bigger solution. The interconnection, championed by leaders of both towns, is an example of the achievement that remarkable cooperation can bring. It resulted in the successful completion of this complex project involving a large tank and over 5.5 miles of water mains. This project provides public health benefits that will outlast all of us."
"Ensuring that everyone in Connecticut has a safe supply of drinking water is a critical mission of this agency," Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said. "We are so pleased to celebrate with the residents, USEPA, the Department of Public Health, the town of Durham, and the city of Middletown the completion of the public water connections to all of those who have been impacted by historical pollution releases."
"Congratulations to the Federal, State and Local team for bringing clean drinking water to Durham, solving a decades-old problem of contamination," said town of Durham Selectman George Eames. "This project improves the health and wellness of our residents and increases property values. Many thanks to the many people who have worked on our behalf."
"The City of Middletown is incredibly proud of our role in this groundbreaking project, which has demonstrated that cooperative regional solutions are often the best approach to solving local problems. While Durham will benefit from clean Middletown water, our whole state and region benefits from the model of partnership that has been established here, and when it comes to collaboration with EPA and our neighboring towns on projects that benefit our residents, I know this is just the beginning," said City of Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim.
