• State gets tough on Casella landfill; Charlton health board to get more frequent updates

• By Debbie LaPlaca
  Correspondent

  
  Posted Jun. 7, 2016 at 9:01 PM
  
  

  CHARLTON – The day after Casella representatives told Charlton officials the Southbridge landfill is not the source of residential well water contamination, the state Department of Environmental Protection flexed its muscles and made new demands of Casella.

  In November, the DEP named Casella Waste Systems, operator of the Southbridge landfill, the potential responsible party for the residential well water contamination by human toxin 1-4, dioxane.

  At the Charlton Board of Health meeting May 24, Casella representatives said the results of residential well tests and months of geophysical evaluations show the landfill is not the source of the contamination in the nearby Charlton wells.

  Gary Magnuson, a CMG Environmental consultant to the health board, called the assertion “their opinion.”

  Mr. Magnuson told the board Tuesday the DEP wrote to Casella the day after that meeting with strong demands.

  Casella is to submit a status report on its immediate response action plan by July 23 and every 60 days thereafter.

  “That’s really good news,” Mr. Magnuson said to the board and residents. “We’re going to get updates every 60 days rather than waiting six months.”

  Casella, he said, is to include in the reports a scope of work in its groundwater investigation, the status of its efforts toward extending municipal water to the affected area, and the status of the voluntary bottled water program.

  “This is really good for you residents. This is DEP being aggressive and laying out some pretty demanding deadlines,” Mr. Magnuson said. “This letter from DEP is very strong.”

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

  At the last health board meeting, landfill site manager Tracy Markham reported results for the April sampling of 48 residential wells on H Foote Road, Eleanor Road, Berry Corner Road and No. 10 Schoolhouse Road.

  Two of the 48 were found to contain 1-4, dioxane exceeding the state safe drinking water standard of .3 parts per billion, Ms. Markham said.

  Casella is providing bottled water to 10 homes with valid contaminate detections. Two homes have received water filtration systems. Another 19 homes, in a defined area, are receiving courtesy, or voluntary, bottled water from Casella.

  Casella, doing business as Southbridge Recycling & Disposal Park, assumed operation of the Southbridge landfill at 165 Barefoot Road in 2004.