ABSTRACT
The Woburn case studied by several investigators who, like Jonathan Harr, were not themselves parties to the litigation, leaving us a trove of research illuminating the role of science during the trial. Prior to the 1960s Woburn used six pumps to draw its drinking water from an underground aquifer in the western part of the city. By comparing court cases in which science has been used well with cases where it has been used poorly, one may learn how better to incorporate scientific evidence into litigation. The trial took place in US District Court in Boston during 1986 and attracted much attention from the local and national press. Testimony by hydrologic experts was supposed to be central to the case, demonstrating if solvents did or could seep from ground-water on the Beatrice or Grace sites into Wells G and H before the wells were closed in 1979.
