After decades of environmental challenges associated with the former Raymark Industries property, Stratford reached an important milestone in June with the completion of another major phase of the federal Superfund cleanup.
On June 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that cleanup work had been completed at Operable Unit 4 of the Raymark Superfund Site, the property formerly known as the Raybestos Memorial Ballfield.
EPA Regional Administrator Mark Sanborn joined Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Mayor David Chess, representatives of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Stratford to recognize the milestone.
The Raymark cleanup has been one of the most complicated environmental remediation projects in New England.
Raymark Industries manufactured automotive brake, clutch, and friction products in Stratford from 1919 until 1989. Waste from those operations contaminated the former factory property as well as residential, commercial, recreational, and municipal locations throughout Stratford.
Because of the scale and complexity of the contamination, the federal Superfund site has been divided into multiple separate areas known as Operable Units.
Work on Operable Unit 4 began in 2020.
According to the EPA, contaminated material removed from locations throughout Stratford was consolidated within an existing containment area and permanently secured beneath an approximately 11-acre multilayer cap.
Completing this portion of the cleanup is an important accomplishment for Stratford, but it is not the end of the larger Raymark remediation effort. Work continues on other portions of the Superfund site, including areas along the Housatonic River.
That distinction matters.
Environmental cleanup on this scale takes years of cooperation among federal, state, and local officials, environmental agencies, engineers, contractors, community advocates, and residents.
Progress also crosses administrations and political terms. The June milestone represents years of sustained work by many people who have remained committed to protecting public health and restoring contaminated properties in Stratford.
The Stratford Democratic Town Committee thanks Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Mayor David Chess, our state and federal partners, the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, Connecticut DEEP, and everyone who has contributed to this important work.
For Stratford residents who have lived with the legacy of Raymark for decades, every completed phase moves our community another step closer to putting that legacy behind us.