‘These are gross substances’: EPA urged to clean up Westerly site
WESTERLY, R.I. – November 7, 2024 – The now-vacant Bradford Printing and Finishing mill in Westerly is still home to a long list of dangerous chemicals, and Save the Bay is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fast-track its cleanup.
According to a 2023 draft report from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the mill’s groundwater has PFAS contaminants “at some of the highest levels in the state, well above the health advisory.”
Dr. Catie Alves, the South County coast keeper with Save the Bay, said those contaminants are already affecting the fish in the Pawcatuck River, which is right next to the mill. She said while the area is popular for fishing, she would not eat the fish.
“The Department of Health found PFAS in fish tissue for both fish in the lagoons and the rivers,” she said. “These are gross substances that we don’t want to interact with people and we don’t want it to interact with the environment.”
According to the EPA, the mill was once home to Bradford Printing and Finishing, a roughly century-old company that specialized in dyeing jackets for the military.
In 2007, a massive fire brought crews to the mill. Neighbors within a mile radius were evacuated, and it took multiple fire departments nine hours to snuff out the final embers. Officials told 12 News at the time that the fire had started in a dryer.