Learning Module: Timeline of Events
Module Goals
- Discuss and list what students consider to be important events before, during, and after the trial while reading A Civil Action during the first week of class
- Provide a chronological structure of important events for use in a mock trial
Overview
The date to begin a timeline of the important events that led to the Woburn Toxic Trial is problematic. A possible starting date is 1964, the year well G was constructed and went online. Alternatively, contamination of Woburn's water supplies dates back to the early 1800s when salts and chemicals from the local tanning industry first impacted streams and lakes in the town. No matter where you choose to start the timeline, the struggle between industry and the quality and quantity of local water resources used for municipal supplies has been long standing and contentious.
When did impacts to groundwater first occur
Although the plaintiffs' case focused on chlorinated solvents emanating from the Beatrice and Grace properties, part of the defenses strategy was to focus on the long-term issues related to contamination in the entire Aberjona River watershed (note to self, cite the GEO trans-report regarding the industrial waste history). Many instances of historic contamination were brought out in the trial and this information became part of the jury's and the public's realization that pollution of its municipal water supplies was an issue that Woburn residents had dealt with for generations.
Events leading to the trial
The most significant event occurred in May 1979, when the city was ordered to close wells G and H in response to the discovery by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that toxic chemicals were present the water produced by both wells. This event, combined with Rev. Bruce Young's general inquiry regarding families who have had leukemia diagnosed in one or more family members, led to the initiation of the lawsuit against Grace and Beatrice. The complaint against the defendants was filed in May 1982. The federal trial began in January 1986 and ended in July. In lieu of a re-trial due to a motion filed by W.R. Grace, the plaintiffs settled out of court with W.R. Grace in September 1986. However, appeals by the plaintiffs extended into 1990. The trial was a landmark in establishing procedures and precedents related to environmental damages from improper disposal of hazardous wastes.