Local resident highlights the EPA’s 2025 PFAS Sampling Report, confirming toxic contamination in town.
My name is Briana Garcia, and I grew up at 963 South Street in Tewksbury, just downhill from what many locals remember as Rocco’s Dump — now known as the Sutton Brook Superfund Site. For years, my family and I drank and bathed in town water drawn from the Poplar Street wells, which pulled directly from the same groundwater the EPA has confirmed is contaminated with PFAS “forever chemicals,” VOCs, and heavy metals. These wells were part of Tewksbury’s municipal water supply and were taken offline in 1992 after contamination was discovered — but for families like mine, the damage had already been done.
The EPA’s 2025 PFAS Sampling Report now confirms what many of us have long suspected: toxic contamination from the Sutton Brook site continues to flow south, directly toward our old neighborhood. This is the same water that once supplied homes on South Street, Whipple Road, and surrounding areas.
The consequences have been devastating. My mother died of lymphoma and leukemia. My brother, Ryan Connor, was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma at just 22 years old — a rare and aggressive kidney cancer that doctors told us was almost unheard of in someone his age. I developed thyroid cancer and now live with systemic scleroderma, a painful and progressive autoimmune disease that affects my organs, skin, and blood vessels. All three of us grew up in the same home, drinking the same water, completely unaware of the risks.
No one ever warned us. No one told us our water might be unsafe.
In recent months, Ryan and I have been conducting extensive research and data collection on local health impacts. We’ve spoken with dozens of families who grew up or still live in this area and have now gathered over 40 health impact forms from current and former residents reporting cancers, autoimmune disorders, and other serious illnesses — many strikingly similar to what we experienced.
We’re not looking for sympathy — we’re looking for truth and accountability. The people of Tewksbury deserve to know how far this contamination spread, who was affected, and what is being done now to protect families and ensure transparency moving forward.
If you or someone you know lived near Sutton Brook or received water from the Poplar Street well field, we encourage you to come forward. Our stories matter, and together, they tell a truth that can no longer be ignored.
Briana Garcia
Former resident – 963 South Street, Tewksbury, MA
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