 Shortly after the passing of the Clean Water Act, Textron—the company the bought Gorham in 1972—and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management funded the effort to make Mashapaug Pond and its surrounding areas a safe site for human use.In the early 2000s, after Gorham closed, lawmakers suggested the now-vacant area be used as a site for a new high school.At first the community residents of Mashapaug protested due to the fact that the area was still highly toxic, but public opposition declined after Textron remediated the land and the school promised to include an air filtration system.