As many as 18 months will be necessary to finish the brand new Wynn Boston Harbor integrated resort located on the Mystic River in Everett, Massachusetts, and an essential part of the construction process is the undergoing remediation of the site which has been occupied by a chemical plant for more than a hundred years. Some 600,000 tons of chemically contaminated soil has already been carted off the location and it is being replaced by fertile soil which is already transforming the shoreline.
The project continues with full throttle and there are as many as 1,500 workers currently working on the site of the future premium integrated complex which will host a brand new casino venue for the residents and guests of the area. The project is estimated to cost $2.4 billion to the developer and it is going to include a five-star waterfront resort which could be accessed both by land and sea. In order to make the location as welcoming to its guests and customers and to eliminate all concerns regarding the health hazards which revolve around the operation of a chemical plant, the construction process calls for in-depth environmental cleanup.
Water Cleanup in Progress
According to the plan for remediation, the next step following the removal of the contaminated soil would be to take care of the water which is in the immediate vicinity of the resort. The President of Wynn Development, Chris Gordon, stated that the site has been a biological desert for quite some time and at the beginning of the construction process the workers did not manage to find living flora or fauna in the area of construction. This is the result of long years of contamination of the water due to the operation of the chemical plant and the industrial buildings.
In order to undo the damage to the environment, for the next two and half months there will be a 24-hour clearing of the inlet of the Mystic River and this is going to clear all the potentially harmful sediments in the water. At the moment the river runs yellowish brown with streaks of rusty orange and the pollution could be seen best in the scoops of mud and rubbish which are being dug out in the process of cleaning. There are heavy metals in it, to the likings of lead and arsenic. The process will not only clear the location as to make it appropriate for a thriving healthy habitat but also make the river deeper, so boats with guests could dock easily.
The cleanup process of both land and water is estimated to cost about $30 million. Patrick Herron, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association, stated that this cleaning process is unusual for a casino developer to take care of and this is because it is a very costly challenge. With the current speed of dredging the site should be clean by the middle of February when it is supposed to stop so that it makes way for migrating fish. The finished casino resort is scheduled to welcome its first guests in June 2019.
