Cleanup slated for Walton & Lonsbury

ATTLEBORO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will start cleaning up hazardous waste at the former Walton & Lonsbury factory in November.
The agency made the announcement last week and held an informational meeting earlier this week at City Hall.
Walton & Lonsbury Inc. operated the 13,500-square-foot chrome plating facility from 1940 to 2007, specializing in plating oversized objects such as pistons for large hydraulic equipment. The EPA said that until 1970, the company dumped hazardous waste directly into wetlands behind the building. From 1970 until the mid-1980s the facility disposed of waste in surface lagoons before opening a wastewater treatment plant in 1986, the EPA said.
Cleanup will include EPA emptying the building and demolishing the structure. The agency expects the removal of toxic contaminates to take 18 to 36 months. It said during the process it will monitor air and land conditions and halt the project if problems are detected. The EPA also noted that workers will wear protective equipment to shield them from contaminants.
As part of the project, the EPA will erect perimeter fencing. The agency advised residents that they can no longer leave their vehicles on the property while visiting Hayward Park.
Work will be conducted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.