Cleanup plan leaving locals uneasy

By KATHY CLEVELAND Staff Writer kcleveland@cabinet.com MILFORD – Three weeks after the first public hearing on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's newest cleanup plan for the Fletcher Superfund site, residents expressed uneasiness about the proposal. At the second hearing Tuesday night, EPA project coordinator Cheryl Sprague said the government agency is "seeking public acceptance" for the plan to excavate 28,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil and truck it off the Elm and Mill street sites. The EPA started the process in 1988 after contaminants were found at the Elm Street site of a paint manufacturer. Sprague explained that the EPA and General Electric Co. now prefer off-site disposal rather than on-site treatment because it is less expensive and faster. The EPA recorded the comments, and they will be available... [read full story]