Neighbors Demand a No Pollution Solution in Plan to Dump Toxic Dirt

In Rocky Hill, Connecticut, residents are working with Community Action Works to stop a proposal to dump contaminated soil on top of a landfill that would risk the community’s health.

With no way to guarantee that toxics from the dirty soil—including arsenic, mercury and PCBs—won’t end up in nearby farmlands, local drinking water or the Connecticut River, residents are organizing to keep the contaminated dirt out of their town and win a “No Pollution Solution” instead.

This is a problem we’re seeing in towns across Massachusetts as well, where a building boom in Boston means rural communities, like Granby and Uxbridge, could be saddled with contaminated soil from construction projects, wastewater treatment plants and more. This summer, we helped Granby residents keep toxic-laden soil out of their town and we’re not stopping there. Rocky Hill residents reached out to us years ago to address pollution in their town and we’re proud to be organizing with them again.