Should I buy a house nearby an archived superfund site? (Ashland: affordable house, buyers) - City-Data Forum

freedomme · 08-29-2010, 06:26 PM

Hi all. We found an interesting house nearby an archived superfund site called vine street drums in Southborough. From EPA website, it seemed the its cleanup work has been performed from 1996-1997. But the house we are looking at is so nearby it, literally 100 meters away. I am wondering should I worry about this site? Any info. about what was the contaminants contains in this superfund site before? We have a baby in my family. Thanks for any feedback.

vogue · 08-29-2010, 09:27 PM

I would never do that cleaned or not, even if best, and most affordable house in the world! It must be special in some way to hook people to buy, with such fatal flaw, I guess. I would never buy, especially if young baby in the family. Every time someone gets sick, I would worry and wonder about it. What about playing in the yard? You would let your kid do that later on? Also, think about playdates with other moms and kids as well? Resale value?

I do not know much about area, but there try to google it and you'll dig up something for sure. Good luck!

AandD · 08-30-2010, 04:58 AM

Unequivocally - NO.

freedomme · 08-30-2010, 08:07 AM

The house itself is very attractive looking.. Sounds like a big NO. thanks, guys.

teachertype · 08-30-2010, 02:49 PM

Call the regional EPA office, the site # is: MA0001890755.

It was cleaned up 13 years ago and the cleanup only went on from October 1996 to Feb 1997. Maybe it was something minor like an underground fuel tank or a dumping site?

kmann-sherborn · 08-30-2010, 05:32 PM

I'm with AandD. NO! There are tons of homes to pick from. Why choose one with something scary to you and future buyers?

Just an fyi, "cleanup" can mean very different things to the EPA. It sounds good but it can sometimes mean some rather lame attempts at dealing with hazardous waste, such as capping it (akin to putting a plastic tarp over it). In an area of Ashland, for example, there are homes with some systems like radon remediation because fumes were being emitted into their basements from an underground plume of toxic sludge that still remains in the ground. No solution at hand to get rid of the plume though.