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Visiting the Six Lakes property in southern Hamden is no small feat, but two members of the Six Lakes Park Coalition’s steering committee were among about a dozen people who ventured recently past the chain link fence—and lots of mosquitoes—to check out several testing sites on the property. Owner Olin Corporation conducted soil and water sampling this summer as part of a requirement to update testing data, which will eventually be used to create a remediation plan to clean up industrial contamination on the property. The work is required by a consent order between Olin and the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) that was signed back in 1986.
On August 29, 2023 members of Hamden’s Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) inspected the Olin Powder Farm – what residents of southern Hamden and their supporters call Six Lakes due to the six small ponds contained on the 102-acre site. IWC approval was required in order for wetlands testing to be conducted.
Olin has had monitoring wells in place on the site since the 1980s. The company has contracted with WSP, a consulting firm, and a drilling contractor to create and monitor additional sites in the upland (non-wetlands) area. The results of the monitoring will be provided to the IWC and DEEP, at which time they will become publicly available—likely this fall or winter.
Elizabeth Hayes lives near Six Lakes and is a member of the Six Lakes Park Coalition steering committee. She accompanied members of the IWC for the inspection and has submitted her application to join the body, she says, "so we (the steering committee) can have a direct link."
At a recent meeting of the Spring Glen Civic Association, Ms. Hayes spoke about Six Lakes. "I spoke about the benefits of having a park such as Six Lakes; if we had had this park during COVID, that would have been a great place to go for meditating and healing. The park is needed for health reasons and economic reasons, to increase the property values of southern Hamden. We invite all of the communities to get involved with the park because if you want to change anything, you have to be a part of it."
The Six Lakes Park Coalition will update supporters on testing data once it becomes available. Learn more about Six Lakes on our website: http://sixlakespark.org/. |
