BEVERLY — The cleanup of the contaminated former Varian site on Sohier Road could cost the company as much as $34 million going forward.
Varian disclosed the cost estimates in its latest filing with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which earlier this year ordered the company to come up with a new cleanup plan after 30 years of failing to solve the problem.
The company laid out a variety of treatment plans for five locations on the site and submitted a set of recommended alternatives for review by MassDEP and open to public comment. The most expensive options add up to more than $34 million, although the company might end up not using all of the most expensive choices.
Varian said in a statement that the report involved analyzing more than 20 remediation technologies that are appropriate for the treatment areas. “We are committed to the health and safety of the community and look forward to their feedback as we work toward a permanent solution,” the company said.
Among the technologies Varian is considering are “thermal conductance heating” and “steam-enhanced extraction,” which involve raising the subsurface temperature to 212 degrees in an attempt to remove underground chemicals.
Varian stated in the filing that there are still thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals 45 to 55 feet deep under two buildings on the property. The chemicals can migrate in groundwater, raising concerns that they could get into nearby homes and businesses.
The company first began trying to remove the chemicals as far back as 1992. Last February, MassDEP concluded that the cleanup wasn’t working and ordered Varian to come up with new ideas.
The state has given Varian a deadline of Feb. 18, 2024, to achieve a “permanent solution.” But the company said in its filing that the deadline is not feasible. It said the shortest projected cleanup time frame for the most contaminated section of the property is 49 months.
A spokesman for MassDEP said the agency will evaluate the new cleanup plans presented by Varian and has the authority to require the company to do more if they are not “adequate to achieve a permanent or temporary solution.”
Varian is scheduled to hold a public meeting on its plans on Jan. 24.
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.