Wynn Completes Pollution Cleanup At Everett Casino Site

Wynn Resorts has completed the costly cleanup of the former chemical plant site where it's building a $2.5 billion Boston-area casino.

The Las Vegas company says it recently completed remediation and cleanup work on the 33-acre waterfront site in Everett.

The company removed nearly 1 million tons of contaminated sediment from the site and the Mystic River over 18 months. The final price tag was about $68 million, or more than double the $30 million previously estimated.

Wynn says the higher costs come from "increased quality measures" as well as the addition of restaurants and other design changes.

"At every point of our constantly evolving cleanup process, when a decision needed to be made, we went with the option that delivered the best quality and most beautiful outcome," Robert DeSalvio, president of Encore Boston Harbor, said in a statement.

The casino was recently rebranded Encore Boston Harbor following allegations of sexual misconduct against company founder Steve Wynn.

Wynn says it will spend another $14 million creating a six-acre harborwalk and park.

Said Elizabeth Turnbull Henry, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts, in a statement: "For decades, this river and sediment have been toxic and unwelcoming to people and nature. With the cleanup complete, we expect to see local communities, plants and wildlife flourish again."

With additional reporting by State House News Service