A shuttered Williamstown dry-cleaning plant that was at the center of one of Vermont’s first large-scale experiences with polluted groundwater almost 30 years ago is going to be torn down.
It’s unclear when demolition will begin on the now-vacant building owned by the UniFirst Corporation. But it will not end the company’s responsibility for ongoing efforts to remove still-contaminated groundwater from the area around the plant.
Officials with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation have overseen efforts to remove the contamination from the groundwater around the plant for the last 10 years. They say the levels of contamination have been going down, but it will still be years before it’s all removed.
A special treatment facility has been installed downhill of the plant that catches the groundwater and removes the chemicals.