300 Fisher St - MA DEP, EPA presentation

Matthew Fitzpatrick, from the MA DEP, provided the presentation file used for the discussion on 300 Fisher St during the Town Council meeting Wednesday.

You can view the file here:



All the files on the MA DEP site associated with 300 Fisher St can be found here
http://public.dep.state.ma.us/fileviewer/Rtn.aspx?rtn=2-0016683

and here
http://public.dep.state.ma.us/fileviewer/Rtn.aspx?rtn=2-0017879


One of the recent updates (7/10/14) reveals that the most recent walk through of the site found it to be unsecured "from trespassers"

MASSDEP SPOKE WITH JOE SALVETTI LSP. MASSDEP STATED THE FENCING NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED, SIGNAGE REPLACED, AND IRA STATUS REPORTS
MUST BE SUBMITTED.  ALTHOUGH THE FENCING/SIGNAGE HAS BEEN REPAIRED/REPLACED LAST WEEK, THE SITE IS CURRENTLY NOT SECURED.
MASSDEP STATED INSPECTIONS AND MAINTENANCE MUST BE INCREASED SUCH THAT THE SITE IS SECURED FROM TRESPASSERS.

http://public.dep.state.ma.us/fileviewer/Default.aspx?formdataid=4544200&documentid=0

photo of map shown during presentation at Town Council meeting

300 Fisher St (map)

A follow up email from a Fisher St resident prompted sharing this map.



As I understand the water flow, Mine Brook flows from the Fisher St area towards Beaver St and i495. As you look at this map, it would be flowing up to the top of the map and to the left (oriented as north and westerly).

screen shot of the detailed map showing contamination at 300 Fisher St and Mine Brook

The details on the hazardous waste (contaminated soil and ground water) can be found in the notes from the Town Council meeting this week:
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/live-reporting-epa-300-fisher-st.html


The presentation document and associated MA DEP files on 300 Fisher St can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/07/300-fisher-st-ma-dep-epa-presentation.html

Live reporting - EPA - 300 Fisher St

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

EPA
multiple folks from MassDEP and US EPA presenting
a multi-million dollar cleanup
contamination extends outside the property boundaries and includes Mine Brook
can qualify for SuperFund listing process

(presentation to be added later) presentation added 7/11/14 - 5:30 AM




six primary areas for contamination
contamination is migrating down Mine Brook, it is not going into Beaver Pond
need to investigate further and to address the contamination that is present

BJAT LLC is property owner and lack resources to deal with the clean up

Discussion on the ownership, whose responsible, etc. will be investigated by EPA as part of this process
determination of liability will be part of the effort
EPA has resources that the State of MA doesn't have access to

It is not likely to be associated with the Town but that final determination has not yet been made

Health risks - physical hazards, as well as lead in Mine Brook that is migrating

EPA has legislation to go after the appropriate parties for liability and to provide funds via the SuperFund if necessary

anyone who has had a hand in contributing or not limiting the contamination will be identified

EPA has a good track record with Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP)

MA has 37 Superfund sites within the state, 70% have responsible parties involved

EPA came in later, MA DEP had asked them first
first notification came in 2007, an engineering company walked through and suspected contamination which was confirmed with research and testing

The EPA is not involved with the NuStyle property as it is not a SuperFund site. They have assisted the Town with remediation

Assistance is being looking for in getting the site onto the listing, it will require a letter from the Governor

There is no air borne solution, just soil and ground water contamination

The process is iterative, in the assess phase right now

SuperFund takes awhile to get it cleaned up
requires multiple Federal rule milestones

National Priorities Listing (NPL)
EPA proposes sites twice a year, the next cycle would be for next spring (spring 2015)
would require letter from Governor by Fall 2014

it is fair to say that this could take a decade or more to resolve
it will be a number of years to get our arms around the scope of the effort

The Federal government does not take ownership, we do place liens on the property to help repay the costs

boots on the ground late 2016 or 2017 to do the real investigation
remediation had to speculate, would be a number of years off

Kelly - are they in good tax status?
Nutting - I don't know off hand

motion to draft letter as necessary, seconded, passed 8-0
letter should be ready by Friday

Franklin wins another award - this time for water conservation

The Mass Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has announced that Franklin has won an award for its efforts on water conservation.

The MassDEP writes:

MassDEP recognizes the effort and dedication your system has evidenced in implementing exemplary water conservation measures during the 2013 calendar year. Conserving our drinking water to ensure that we have enough water for future generations and to minimize impacts to our water resources is a major initiative we must all take. It is our belief that public water systems going above and beyond what is required should be recognized for their endeavors. 

Franklin DPW headquarters

You can find the full statement of the award on the Franklin webpage here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_News/01D3668E-000F8513

or here

Public Health Advisory: Private drinking water wells

Mass DEP/USGS Arsenic and Uranium Bedrock Well Study, Public Health Advisory


The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Drinking Water Program released the results of a U.S. Geological Survey study regarding arsenic and uranium in private drinking water wells in Massachusetts on March 21, 2011.


The study suggests that naturally occurring arsenic and uranium levels in some private drinking water wells in Franklin may exceed recommended levels. Mass DEP has developed a comprehensive website to provide town residents with information regarding the details of the study, the resources for determining if one’s well may be impacted, as well as information on well testing and mitigation procedures.


At the current time, only private drinking water wells in a small area of southwest Franklin have been determined to be suspect based on maps provided by Mass DEP.


The Franklin Health Department urges residents in the suspect areas to carefully review all information on the Mass DEP website, and to have their drinking water wells tested and treated as necessary.


Residents who are served by the town’s public drinking water wells are not affected by this advisory.


Important Contacts:


For questions regarding the US Geological Survey report contact John Colman at USGS at (508)-490-5027.


For questions regarding health effects of arsenic and uranium contact Massachusetts Department of Public Health at (617)-624-5757 or (800)-240-4266.


For questions regarding arsenic mitigation contact Joe Cerutti, Mass DEP at (617) 292-5859.


For questions regarding uranium mitigation contact Steve Hallem, Mass DEP at (617)-292-5681.


You may also contact the Franklin Health Department at (508)-520-4905.


http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/au/aulocate.htm



Franklin, MA

Are your oil fired buners compliant?

From the massgov Twitter stream today, I saw:

@massgov: Older oil burners must be upgraded to prevent leaks - A law enacted over a year ago (St. 2008, c.453) requires home... http://ow.ly/16tOyU 

When you follow the link you find: (bold added for my emphasis)

A law enacted over a year ago (St. 2008, c.453) requires homeowners with oil burners installed before 1990 to make a small change to their systems by July 1, 2010 to prevent leaks. According to the Mass. DEP, under the Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law,  "Owners of 1- to 4-unit residences that are heated with oil must already have or install an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with a protective sleeve...  Installation of these devices must be performed by a licensed oil burner technician."  "It is important to note that heating oil systems installed on or after January 1, 1990 most likely are already in compliance because state fire codes implemented these requirements on new installations at that time."

The good news is that the law also requires insurers who offer homeowner's insurance to also offer coverage for oil leaks to those who have certified that they have made the repairs or are exempt from the requirement.

More information, including a diagram of necessary repairs, is available at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection site.

The burner in my house failed and was replaced in Sep 2008 so I know we are compliant. This is the first I hear that there is a deadline to be complaint by July 1, 2010.

Is your oil fired burner compliant?