Woburn Superfund Site, Massachusetts

In 1979, police discovered abandoned drums of industrial waste near some municipal water wells for the town of Woburn, beginning a chain of inquiries and accusations that led to the notorious Woburn Superfund site litigation. Today, though Wells G and H are closed, the sediments of the Aberjona River and its tributaries still contain toxic levels of hydrocarbons and heavy metals. One of over thirty sites in the state listed as active on the EPA's National Priorities List, and one of hundreds of sites in the state that are of concern to the agency, the situation in Woburn is notable mostly because it was noticed. The Aberjona is otherwise a typical small stream flowing through the industrialized suburban cityscape. Remediation efforts are ongoing.