Consultant: Landfill not source of well contamination in Charlton

By Brian Lee
Telegram & Gazette Staff

No available information points to the landfill as the source of contaminated private wells in the area of H. Foote Road in Charlton, the town’s consultant on landfill matters, Tighe & Bond, told councilors Monday.

Last fall, Casella announced 1,4-dioxane was detected in 21 wells in Charlton, with eight exceeding the state drinking water regulation. The state later named Casella the potential responsible party.

Jeffrey Arps, an environmental expert for Tighe & Bond, told the council that groundwater doesn’t travel uphill, and the impacted homes are 80 feet above and northeast of the landfill. Groundwater is flowing in the opposite direction, he said.

Hires Proposed For Landfill Expansion Hearings

Brian Lee

Worcester Telegram 

The lawyer for the Board of Health has proposed hiring a hearing officer and a new consultant for hearings for Casella Waste Systems' push to enlarge one of the state's biggest landfills.

Southbridge Recycling & Disposal Park, a Casella subsidiary, wants to expand the landfill by about 20 acres and to create of a new disposal area encompassing about 14 acres. Casella would build earthen berms up to 60 feet high around the existing landfill. The design change would be considered "a major permit modification." The landfill's most recent alteration, in 2008, was considered a minor permit modification in that it changed the operation to allow disposal of up to 405,600 tons of waste per year. The size of the landfill stayed the same eight years ago.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

State Official – Landfill “Likely Source” Of Well Contamination

 Rupa Shenoy-WGBH

Mark and Melissa Widing attend Charlton

Board of Health meetings regularly to ask

for help with their contaminated well water.

Credit: Rupa Shenoy

For months, lead leached into the Flint, Michigan, water supply – and no one did anything about it. In the wake of that crisis, the nation is re-examining its water supply. But some families in central Massachusetts are wondering why the increased scrutiny hasn’t helped them.

Those families have been living on bottled water for months because their water supply is contaminated. State environmental officials say the only possible source they’ve identified is the biggest active municipal landfill in the state, just west of Worcester. But the operator of that landfill, Casella Waste Systems, Inc, says its safe.

Southbridge Board Of Health Meeting - April 14, 2016

Group Stages Pro-Casella Rally

P.A. Roddy

Asserting their right to sell out to economic interests, a group of Southbridge residents staged a protest outside State offices on Friday.

Members of the group calling itself Casella Residents Accepting Pollutants said that their status as an environmental justice community is a two-sided coin.

“What people fail to realize is that in order to assure environmental protection for most people requires the relentless exploitation of a few,” said group spokesperson Didi Clemens. “It is the right of a community to sacrifice its long-term well-being for short term gains. The people of Southbridge have done this for years and have honed it to a fine art.” 

Such A Deal

Southbridge Town Council Meeting - June 22, 2015

Council Kills Casella Contract Amendment

Ken O’Brien

By a vote of 7 to 2 the Southbridge Town Council voted down a proposed amendment to the contract with Casella.

I have listened with interest to the debate regarding this amendment.

After listening to tonight’s discussion I have come to the conclusion that the Council has made a serious mistake. 

Southbridge Resident Speaks Out On Casella Amendment

Zachary Tucker

Dear Members of the Southbridge Town Council,

My name is Zachary Tucker, and I am a proud resident of Southbridge. It has come to my attention that on June 22, 2015, The Council will be voting on the first amendment of the Casella Extension Agreement.  I firmly urge the Council to vote no. There are several facets to this contract which I feel deserve much more thorough examination, and once given I have no doubt the Council will find a NO vote is the only responsible option at this time. 

Contact Your Town Councilors About Casella's Amendment

Those wishing to contact Town Councilors on the Casella matter can reach them at the following phone numbers and/or email addresses.

                                                                   Phone                                     email                 .

Shaun M. Moriarty                           774-230-6870  smoriarty@southbridgemass.org

Amelia L. Peloquin                           413-695-5289  apeloquin@southbridgemass.org

Denise Clemence                               508-764-7642  dbclemence@hotmail.com

Esteban Carrasco, Jr.                       774-230-8542  carrascotowncouncil@gmail.com

Conrad L. Vandal                             508-764-4831  cvandal@charter.net

Monique S. Manna                           774-230-0156  mmanna@southbridgemass.org

George P. Steeves                              508-764-8042  councilorgus@gmail.com

Albert D. Vecchia, Jr.                       508-764-1484  vecchiaa@aol.com

Miguel Estrada                                  508-909-6943  estradacouncilor@gmail.com

Auclair Speaks Out On Casella Amendment

Kristen Auclair

I am writing to the members of the Town Council as I will not be in attendance at Monday night’s meeting. 

I am writing about the final agenda item, item 34, the motion to accept the first amendment to the Casella contract.  In subcommittee there were a lot of agreed upon terms to include in the contract, and I’m confident that a lot will be added without any outside input.  However, I implore you all to take the following into consideration when voting on this item.

1.      The money allotted to the proposed pre-treatment facility:  How is this money being utilized?  What kind of facility will $2.5 million build?  Where are the designs that constitute this money and how do we know that more money will not actually be needed to complete this venture?  To my knowledge, no preliminary engineering plans have been presented to represent this estimate.  There needs to be some kind of justification for this specific amount. 

Councilor Steeves Speaks Out On Casella Amendment

Today’s Southbridge News carries an article by Town Councilor Gus Steeves expressing his views on the proposed amendment to the Casella contract.

A ‘First Amendment’ we should not invoke

by Gus Steeves

“The devil’s in the details” is a common cliché, but in some documents, it’s really an understatement.

Multiple demons jump out of the newly proposed “First Amendment” to the landfill site assignment, which is currently being considered by the Council. General Government talked about it Wednesday and I expect it to be on Monday’s full council agenda, but both were after this column’s deadline. 

Subcommittee To Review Amendment To Casella Agreement

Ken O’Brien

Tonight at 6:30 the General Government subcommittee will meet in the Rice Conference Room in the Town Hall. On the agenda is the following item:

Discuss First Amendment to the Extension Agreement for the Operation of the Barefoot Road Sanitary Landfill, and Refuse and Recyclables Collection and entertain a motion to submit to the Council for ratification.

What does this amendment contain? 

What’s Happening With The Landfill?

Ken O’Brien

Today a meeting was held at the Southbridge Town Hall under MEPA, the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The meeting involved a presentation relating to the plan by Casella to expand the footprint of the town landfill.

The matter was brought to the town’s attention on Monday night by local citizen John Pulawski appearing at the Town Council meeting.

Following his statement Councilor Denise Clemence responded that the Council had been advised of Casella’s intent and encouraged any interested Southbridge residents to attend today’s meeting.

Pulawski Was Right About Casella Contract

Ken O’Brien

At Monday’s Town Council meeting Councilor Clemence added an item to the agenda relating to the landfill reimbursement receipt study,  the so-called MFN clause of the town’s contract with Casella. That clause calls for a review of the contract every seven years from the effective date of the contract so that Southbridge will receive the highest compensation from its arrangement with Casella.

As he had previously, citizen John Pulawski protested the action. He argued that with the closing of numerous landfills around the state in the coming year the town was acting prematurely.

He also argued that the side letter signed between former interim Town Manager John Healey and Casella had set the effective date of the contract a year later than was being assumed by the Town Council.

Eating Crow For Thanksgiving

Ken O’Brien

Councilor Nikolla’s words from the night of the vote on the Casella contract still echo in my ears. “I’ve read this contract. This is a good contract.”

I was among a number of those who disagreed with this assessment. The most ardent of the opponents were John Gatti, Jr., and Larry and Ann Beinema. We all suffered for our outspoken disagreement with the merits of that contract.

Monday night the chickens set loose by the decision to adopt the contract came home to roost.

Carpetbagged Again: The Southbridge Soap Opera Continues

Ken O’Brien

As we return to today’s episode, the semi-conscious residents of the whimsical town of Southbridge are victimized by ether waves that penetrate their tin foil helmets.

In contrast to their normal long-term loss of short-term memory the sinister forces of the O’Zone Vandals are beaming recollections of moments past into their vulnerable noggins. 

Sunday Photo-'Toons 1.33

Ken O'Brien

Vecchia Interprets History

Ken O’Brien

Former councilor Albert D. Vecchia, Jr. and "his" road

Former town councilor Albert D. Vecchia, Jr. had an interesting letter in June 22^nd’s Southbridge Evening News. Titled “Vecchia: Clemence ‘best councilor I ever served with’” it read as follows:

Worcester Telegram: Clark Criticized Over Access Road

Ken O’Brien

In a late-posted article in today’s Worcester Telegram, Brian Lee reported on criticisms leveled at Southbridge town manager Christopher Clark.

Specifically former town council chairman Steven Lazo and local resident Dennis Martinek criticized Clark’s recent admission (at just over the one hour point in the video) that the much touted access road does not really provide access to the bulk of the property that has been promoted as the site for an industrial park.

Both Mr. Lazo and Mr. Martinek are candidates for the Southbridge town council in the upcoming June 26^th town election.

The Telegram article by Brian Lee follows.