Download File - Local Environmental Action 2017

Ash Landfill in Saugus –
Environmental & Health concern
Toxic Action Center Conference
March 5, 2017
Debra Panetta, President
Saugus River Watershed Council
Discussion
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Saugus River Watershed Council
 Why the ash landfill in Saugus is of particular
concern in Saugus
Saugus River Watershed
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11 Communities:
Saugus
Lynn
Wakefield
Revere
Reading
Lynnfield
Melrose
Malden
Everett
Peabody
Stoneham
SRWC Mission: Protect and Restore Natural
Resources of the Watershed

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Environmental education, awareness and public access
Research and monitoring
Protect and restore wetlands, wildlife habitat and
watershed resources through environmental advocacy,
special projects and initiatives
Climate Change Impacts
on the Watershed
 Extended
dry periods
 More intense rain storms
and flooding
 Increase in temperature
(air / water)
 Increase and shifts in
aquatic vegetation
 Tidal influence moving upstream
 Shift in fish and wildlife habitat
Climate Adaptation / Mitigation
Planning in the Watershed
Awareness / Education
• Education for students
• Technical workshops for
municipal planners /
engineers
• Guidance for climate
adaptation planning
Wheelabrator Ash Landfill in Saugus
Prioritize
High
Priority
Areas
High
Risks
Highest
Priority for
Climate
Change
Adaptation
and Mitigation
Why is the Site of
Particular Concern
 High

Priority Area
Rumney Marshes Area of Critical
Environmental Concern (designated 1988)
• One of the most biologically significant
salt marshes north of Boston
• Native and migratory birds
• Fisheries include alewife, flounder,
rainbow smelt, American eel
• Soft shelled and razor clams
Why is the Site of
Particular Concern
 High




Risk
Vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surge
Potential release of lead, mercury, cadmium
and other hazardous pollutants
Landfill lacks ‘state of the art’ liner
Complex site history with municipal waste
dump covered by ash landfill
Waste Incinerator
Ash Landfill
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Tools for Climate Adaptation Planning
12
Tools for Climate Adaptation Planning
Current Status of Ash Landfill
 Consent Order required closure in 1996
 Amendments allowed expansion
 Now reaching 50-foot capacity
Closure now 20 years overdue
360 ton capacity of ash / day x 365 =
131,400 tons / year or 2.6+ million tons
over the past 20 years
What’s in the Ash
 Fly Ash - alone is characterized as
hazardous waste due to high content of
pollutants such as
• Lead
• Mercury
• Cadmium
• Arsenic
 EPA regs allow disposal of Fly Ash after
it is mixed with (diluted) by less
contaminated Bottom Ash
Elevated Risk to the Resource
 Recent spills highlight hazardous risks
of the ash
 With fly ash spread throughout, a
breach or leaching from the landfill
would put significant natural resources
at risk
Proposed Expansion of
the Ash Landfill
 Re-open closed portion of the landfill
 Destroy 39 acres of bird habitat on
capped landfill by transforming area
back into active ash disposal area
 Disturbs environment closest to the
estuary
 5 Years Additional Ash Disposal
 360 tons of ash per day
 657,000 tons of ash over 5 years
Capped / Closed Landfill with Grassy Bird Habitat
Active Ash Landfill Operation
Waste Incinerator
Ash Landfill
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Critical Juncture
 MEPA did not require a full EIR but deferred
environmental permit review to DEP
 DEP will evaluate proposed expansion plan
 Not yet submitted by Wheelabrator
 Local Saugus Board of Health requested that
Wheelabrator come in for a site-assignment
hearing but the company has refused
 Prevents local decision-making and limits
local oversight of the proposed expansion
Critical Juncture
 Looking to DEP for leadership in
protecting critical environmental
resources and public health by enforcing
closure plans
 Crucial that we move from use and
expansion of the landfill to closure and
protection
Critical Juncture
 Proposal to expand capacity of the ash
landfill is completely out of touch with
watershed and regional efforts to protect
coastal resources in a changing climate
 Could jeopardize multi-million $ efforts
to improve water quality and restore
wetlands
Extremely High Community
and Regional Concern
 Coalition of environmental organizations
and public officials working to protect
public health and the environment
 Proposed legislation
 Hundreds of comment letters
 Local resolutions opposing expansion
Community Priorities for
Closing the Ash Landfill
 Protect public health
 Promote environmental justice
 Saugus, Lynn and Revere all have EJ
communities
 Protect Rumney Marshes ACEC
 Reduce risks associated with
sea level rise and storm surge in
dynamic coastal environment
Need to Focus on Improving
Conditions for EJ Communities
 Need to reduce vs. increase sources of
pollution to the region is compelling
 Abutting communities face impacts from
multiple industrial sources of pollution
Recent Development
Efforts by the Alliance to amend the Saugus Zoning ByLaws:
Three articles
1/ Adding definitions to more clearly
define ash, landfill, and ash landfill
2/ To limit the ash landfill, not
exceeding 50 feet
3/ Amend ‘Table of Use Regulations’ to
require a special permit for
landfills/ash landfills
Bylaw changes
1/ Alliance got over 450 certified signatures to call a
Special Town Meeting.
2/ Came before Saugus Board of Selectmen, who
called the Special (per MGL).
3/ Presented before Saugus Planning Board, who
recommended all three articles.
4/ Town Meeting voted in all three articles at the
February Special Town meeting.
5/ Waiting to hear back from the Attorney General’s
office.
Source: Massachusetts Cancer Registry
Cancer statistics are not directly linked to any particular cause but highlight the
need to decrease sources of pollution known to contribute to cancer.
Looking to the Future
 We can’t change the past, but can ensure
that decisions we make today reduce
environmental risks for the future
Questions / Comments
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