Beverly City Council Responds to Varian Cleanup Plans

The Beverly City Council raised objections to the plan submitted by Varian Medical Systems to clean the toxic chemicals found at the 150 Sohier Road site. Based on the remediation techniques proposed in Varian’s plan, cleanup would not be completed until 2035.

The Varian Medical Systems plan was submitted for City Council review after the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) determined that Varian was not in compliance with state environmental regulations. Despite the cleanup project beginning in 2000, as recently as May 2020, groundwater in Beverly showed elevated levels of toxic chemicals.

Councilors expressed concern that the chosen methods of remediation proposed were determined by price rather than efficacy and timeliness. The public can submit comments to Varian Medical Systems and read the entire cleanup plan by clicking HERE.