A $13 million settlement has been reached between four parties and the United States to expedite cleanup of the contaminated Blackburn and Union Privileges Superfund Site in Walpole, Mass., the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced. The parties involved in the settlement include W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn., a former owner and operator of the site; Tyco Healthcare Group, also former owner and operator; as well as BIM Investment Corp. and Shaffer Realty Nominee Trust, the current owners.

Under the settlement, the four parties will, among other things:

• Excavate and dredge contaminated soil and sediment;
• Treat contaminated groundwater that poses a risk to surface waters;
• Establish land use restrictions for the site; and
• Perform long-term monitoring of soils, sediment and groundwater.

The site, which was listed on the National Priorities List in 1994, includes about 21 parcels of land. The Neponset River runs through the 22-acre site, which has been used for commercial and industrial purposes since the 1700s. From about 1915 to 1936, a predecessor of W.R. Grace manufactured asbestos brake linings and clutch linings on a large portion of the property. From 1946 to about 1983, a predecessor of Tyco Healthcare operated a cotton fabric manufacturing business, which used caustic solutions, on a portion of the property.