Nashua residents are meeting on Wednesday with officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and a prospective real estate developer to discuss the clean-up of a proposed superfund site, The Mohawk Tannery. The site is in a residential area of Nashua and contains toxic chemicals left over from its years as a leather tannery.
The EPA wants to concentrate and seal off the toxic waste on-site. Many local residents want the waste to be removed entirely. Rhiannon Robinson is a cofounder of the N.E.W. Nashua Civic Association, a group of residents living near the site.
At a press conference Tuesday, she demanded a more thorough cleanup.
"The EPA is proposing shortcuts that could make our families sick for generations but burying our problems does not solve anything," she said. "What we need from the city, the EPA and the developer is a real investment in our future."
Local real estate developer Bernard Plante has expressed interest in helping to share the costs of the cleanup and building residential units.
The informal meeting between state EPA officials, Bernard Plante, and Nashua residents will be held on Wednesday at the United Way of Greater Nashua at 6:30 p.m.
The public comment period on EPA's proposal ends on Sept. 7.
