Sludge-to-fertilizer plant permit denied New! 6/22/00
A North Andover, Mass. Board of Health member said a planned smokestack is too short to safely disperse emissions.
By Rachel Malamud
Eagle-Tribune Writer
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. The Board of Health last night unanimously voted to deny a permit for the construction of a controversial sludge-to-fertilizer processing facility.
The board based its denial of the facility, which would be built on the grounds of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, on several considerations, including the height of the proposed facility's smokestack and the safety of residents living in the vicinity proposed plant.
"The height of the smokestack did not meet the best available technology," said board Chairman Gayton Osgood. "It's close to neighborhoods, and I thought that being as close to neighborhoods as it is, we just didn't feel this was the site for this."
Quincy-based New England Fertilizer Co. (NEFCo.) had proposed building the facility for GLSD. The facility would house heat-drying equipment that would convert sludge left over from wastewater treatment into fertilizer. It was planned for the GLSD's plant on Charles Street, located between Lawrence Municipal Airport and the Merrimack River. The plant treats waste from Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, North Andover and Salem, N.H.
While Mr. Osgood said the smokestack would be too short to provide adequate dispersion of the plant's air emissions, another Board of Health member said the stack was too tall and would pose a danger for pilots landing at Lawrence Municipal Airport.
"Speaking personally, as a pilot who lands at Lawrence, God forbid if anyone had engine problems and had to make an emergency landing on Runway 5, which would be located next to the smokestack,' said Dr. John S. Rizza. "I wouldn't want them to have to make that landing next to a smokestack that's 25 feet higher than (Federal Aviation Administration) standards."
NEFCo. had obtained an FAA waiver for the smokestack's height, said Virginia M. Grace, NEFCo.'s business development manager.
The board also concluded the plant would present too much of a public health risk, despite an impact report authored by town-hired consultants that concluded the plant would pose no environmental, public health or safety risks.
"There's not enough real-world experience with these things," Mr. Osgood said. "And particularly since this is going to be in downtown North Andover. We are really quite overburdened with air pollution in this area. There's no doubt of that in my mind in practical terms, and I think we should just be really, really careful."
Say no to fertilizer plant Eagle Tribune Editorial 6/18/00
OUR VIEW
A sludge-to fertilizer plant has too many negatives stacked against it.
North Andover's Board of Health tomorrow will issue a ruling that has the potential to affect the well-
being of residents across the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire.
The Greater Lawrence Sanitary District is seeking approval for a sludge-to-fertilizer plant at its site on Charles Street. Work on the first phase of the project, a $17 million upgrade to existing facilities, already has begun. The Board of Health must issue a permit for the second phase, a fertilizer plant to be built by New England Fertilizer Co. of Quincy.
The board should deny the permit.
The prime benefit of the fertilizer plant is that it would reduce the cost of sludge disposal for the GLSD. Sludge is the solid by-product of wastewater treatment. The GLSD treats wastewater from Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, North Andover and Salem, N.H.
But that benefit does not compensate for the potential health risks posed by the plant. Sludge contains heavy metals, by-products of industry that get washed into sewer systems. These materials are potential carcinogens.
While the fertilizer plant itself may fall within regulatory limits with its emissions, the Merrimack Valley already is host to more than its fair share of this type of industry. Two trash incinerators and a medical waste incinerator operate between Lawrence and Haverhill.
There is a major problem with the design of the plant. Because its proposed site is near the airport, there is a limit on how tall its smokestack may be. The concern is that the smokestack would not be tall enough to disperse pollutants into the atmosphere.
The entire project has been handled poorly by both North Andover and GLSD officials.
First, the GLSD attempted to bypass the town permitting process altogether. Then, the district began construction on the first phase of the project. No permits were needed for that construction but it has served to put pressure on the town to approve the rest of the project.
The Board of Health held a private meeting with the GLSD and New England Fertilizer the day before a public hearing on the project. The purpose, the board said, was to iron out restrictions on the plant if a permit were granted. But it appeared to plant opponents and to us as the hallmark of a done deal made outside of public scrutiny.
With all these negatives stacked against it, we can see no way the plant should go forward.
To the editor: 6/18/00
At first blush, the report submitted by consultants regarding the proposed sludge-to-fertilizer plant in North Andover gives the public a wonderful feeling of well-being. The plant will be safe. All is well.
But the report's clean bill of health carries a qualifier the plant will be safe only if the Board of Health ensures "that the facility performs as stated by GLSD and NEFCO." It further clarifies that the board must impose conditions to "ensure that the calculations that have been performed will not be proven inaccurate by actual operation."
There's the catch. Actual operations constantly prove the inaccuracies of calculations. Under the best of conditions, accidents occur. Machinery breaks down. Chemicals spill. Fires occur. And we, the people, suffer the hazardous consequences. The consultant cites its own experience that "these simple- sounding conditions are, in fact, often difficult for facilities to abide with."
The report explains that stack height serves to control air pollution, but admits, "none of the stacks proposed are at a height that would be considered good engineering practice. Part of the reason for this is the constraint of the neighboring airport." Despite the airport constraint, they suggest raising one of the stacks to "mitigate" potentially dangerous arsenic emissions. Note that "mitigate" does not mean, "prevent." It means "lessen."
The report reveals that our region has persistently exceeded federal safety standards for ozone, and that the proposed facility would have significant impacts for nitrogen dioxide. The EPA states that nitrogen dioxide is a precursor to ozone, which is linked to respiratory diseases "at relatively low doses."
Make no mistake. The Board of Health has the right to deny the facility based on the above concerns. The question remains, will they have the conviction to do so on behalf of your safety?
JOAN KULASH
North Andover
To the editor: 6/18/00
This is a difficult letter for me to write. My very dear friend buried her brother this week. He was 36. He died of cancer; cancer that was caused by the chemical plant that he lived near in his youth. Many people from that same neighborhood also have cancer.
What does this matter to you, you're asking. The Merrimack Valley has the highest rate of breast and prostate cancer in New England. It also has one of the highest levels of mercury contamination in the country. Besides the pollution from local incinerators, the airport and the sewer plant, do we really need the Greater Lawrence Sanitation District (GLSD) building a sludge-to-fertilizer plant here in North Andover?
I am concerned that the Board of Health is dismissing the fact that the GLSD will be adding to the pollution mercury, arsenic, dioxins and other heavy metals already exists here. As an individual business, the EPA says the GLSD will not exceed safety levels for ozone. But I say what if you add their levels to those already existing? And what about the consultants who say the GLSD can't build a tower too high or it will interfere with the airport? Yet if they don't build it high enough, the pollution will not dissipate safely.
The bottom line is our health. The Board of Health cannot allow GLSD to go forward with this sludge-to- fertilizer plant. The Merrimack Valley is already overburdened with dangerous pollution and the danger is real. Chemical pollution kills, just ask my friend. What do we have to do, all die at once before the Board of Health admits that having a sludge-to-fertilizer plant built in this community is a terrible idea?
JENNY PICKETT
North Andover
To the editor: 6/18/00
I attended a North Andover Board of Health general meeting organized to explain to residents the results of an independent study of Greater Lawrence Sanitary District's sludge conversion plans. Now, the existing plant affects the air/noise/traffic levels of all Merrimack Valley residents. I would think then, not only residents of North Andover, but of all bordering towns, would be interested in its findings. I thought that the very parents who insist upon the best in education, the best in day care, the best in toy and child safety, the best in pay scales, and the best in home luxury and convenience would certainly want the best for their families' environment. Well "think" is the operative word here. Only 100 (approximately) interested people showed up, of which approximately 20 (one-fifth) were vested parricipants. As an avid outdoors person, athlete, and asthma sufferer, these results were of great concern to my family and me.
What I did find at this meeting made an insightful impression on me. Most of the experts were informative, clear, factual and not the least bit condescending. But what impressed me more were the "lay" people. These people some with scientific degrees, others with general degrees and still others with no degrees had taken hundreds of hours to first-hand study, see and report on actual sludge/fertilizer plants. They prepared and documented the pros and' cons of what they actually experienced. They did not equate to the "nearest approximate" the formula needed to be accepted by EPA guidelines. Instead they showed us that "accepted" standards are not enough when coupled with our already-polluted air quality. They made us aware that such a plant could become a disastrous fireball if it exploded; that all town resources will be strained; that because it is next to the airport, the stack height might be compromised, thus compromising the effectiveness of any safeguards; that the town water is extremely close to the plant and needs protection; that in our generosity (and at times our greed) the area has been a gracious host to eight other environment altering industries.
Back in 1966, we had 9,000 residents who took the time to learn about the cause and effect of change. In 2000, are 26,000 residents jaded enough to only care about what they can buy and use?
ELAINE M. BURKE
North Andover
Fire,odors marked Quincy plant's beginning New! 6/11/00
State and city officials say the New England Fertilizer Company's South Shore facility hasn't had many complaints in recent years.
By Rachel Malamud
Eagle-Tribune Writer
QUINCY New England Fertilizer Company the company that wants to build a sludge-to-fertilizer plant in North Andover has owned a similar facility in Quincy that has been in operation since 1991.
The Quincy plant is located on the grounds of the Fore River Shipyard, and faces out onto the bay. It is located in an industrialized part of the city, with few houses in the immediate vicinity of the plant.
The proposed North Andover plant would be about 1/6 the size of the Quincy facility, said Virginia M. Grace, NEFCo's building development manager. While the Quincy plant generates 15,000 dry tons of "biosolids" fertilizer each year, the proposed GLSD plant would only generate about 8,000 dry tons per year, Ms. Grace said.
The proposed North Andover plant would be built on the grounds of the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District. A number of houses are located near the proposed plant, and owners have expressed concerns over possible environmental, public health and safety risks of the proposed plant. The North Andover Board of health has until June 30 to decide if it will allow the construction of a facility to convert sludge from wastewater treatment into fertilizer.
NEFCo. officials often cite their track record in Quincy when making its case for building a North Andover sludge plant.
"We can give [North Andover] the same assurances we have given the city of Quincy and surrounding communities in our relationships for the past ten years," said Craig R. Dolan, general manager for NEFCo.'s Quincy plant.
Although NEFCo is confident in the conditions of their Quincy plant now, that wasn't always the case.
When the plant first opened, there were a number of complaints over odors emitted from the plant as well as excess noise, according to the Quincy Board of Health.
Inside the plant's sludge processing facility, there was a strong smell of ammonia, a byproduct of the
sludge digestion process, and a less intense, but still pungent, smell of sludge. But those scents were barely noticeable once standing about 20 feet outside of the plant.
The dryers at the Quincy plant have mostly been fitted with the wet scrubbers to cut down on odors, said Michael W. Thayer, NEFCo.'s technology and engineering manager.
NEFCo. will build wet scrubbers in the proposed North Andover plant to reduce odor emissions and to reduce the number of particulates, or small bits of solid matter that look like dust, released, Mr. Thayer said.
"There were noise problems caused by a fan, and some problems with odors. But the company retooled the fan, and there haven't been any complaints to us in the past few years, " said Cindy DeCristofaro, the chief sanitarian.
Odors weren't the only problem for NEFCo. in the first years of operations. There were also fires or, as the company calls them, "smoulderings," in 1992 in the silos where the pellets are stored. The "smoulderings" occurred because the silos weren't properly cooled, Mr. Thayer said. "We've designed a cooling system and it won't do that at the GLSD plant," said Mr. Thayer.
Outside of the Quincy plant's large, white, round facilities yesterday afternoon a company employee was shoveling a small pile of pellet that had spilled on the ground into a barrel. The dust is supposed to be sealed away by a network of tubes leading to and from the drying apparatus, but apparenfly a spillage had occurred. "Nothing like this has ever happened before," Mr. Thayer said as he walked by.
But late last month, a "non-formal" complaint was filed with the Occupation Safety and Health Administration, alleging "poor housekeeping throughout the facility," according to the complaint.
Stan Jackson, the plant's manager, acknowledged that material had been spilled and left on the floor recently, but blamed it on construction at the plant.
"The plant is undergoing installation of new equipment," Mr. Jackson said. "That doesn't always go properly. It's a major construction project going on. Someone thought we weren't getting the housekeeping done with the speed they thought was necessary.We happened to agree with them and hired extra people to come and take care of that." OSHA saw no need to launch a formal investigation, said Ted Fitzgerald, an OSHA spokesman.
Pellets make fairways green, but are they safe? 5/4/00
While proponents of a sludge-to-fertilizer project say fertilizer pellets would be safe, critics worry about how and where the pellets will be used.
By Christine Seymour
Eagle-Tribune Writer
NORTH ANDOVER One question has underpinned the debate over a proposed facility that would turn wastewater sludge into fertilizer: Is it safe?
The Greater Lawrence Sanitary District and its partner in the project, New England Fertilizer Co., say fertilizer made from sludge is perfectly safe to use oncrops and other agricultural products. But critics wonder how the GLSD and NEFCo can insure the safety of the fertilizer, considering its source: human waste and anything else poured down a household drain.
The GLSD is battling with the town to get permission to build a sludge-to-fertilizer plant at its North Andover facility, located on Charles Street near the bank of the Merrimack River.
Sludge is the semi-solid by-product of the process used to clean wastewater. It contains the chemicals and other materials that make untreated wastewater unsafe to be discharged into rivers and the ocean.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency regulates the amount of chemicals allowed in sludge that is turned into fertilizer.
"There is no material currently in the fertilizer business that is put through more rigorous or strident testing than this material is," said Craig Dolan, general manager of NEFCo.
"People have certain and genuine concerns, which I understand. But the requirements of the regulations and our compliance with the regulations really act to countermand those issues. We're very careful but also extremely interested in, and concerned about, being sure that we are always in compliance in terms of the product quality."
NEFCo operates a sludge-to-fertilizer plant in Quincy, which turns waste from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority into fertilizer pellets.
Much of the 32,000 tons of pellets produced each year in Quincy is sold to companies that blend the pellets with other nutrients. The product is then sold as on-the-shelf fertilizer, used by home gardeners, golf courses, landscapers and grass growers, Mr. Dolan said. Some of the pellets wind up in citrus groves as well.
"By and large, the material leaves Massachusetts," Mr. Dolan said."The concern that this stuff will end up in Lawrence or North Andover, the material goes some distance before it's used. It's true that it would be used to grow produce that ends up back here, or in on-the-shelf fertilizer."
The sludge-to-fertilizer plant would be built by NEFCo on land off Charles Street owned by the GLSD. The North Andover Board of Health, which must issue a permit for the project, is now holding public hearings.
Even some of the most vocal critics say turning sludge into fertilizer could be a solution to the growing problem of how to dispose of sludge. The alternatives landfilling or incinerating the material are not environmentally sound and cannot continue forever, they say.
"The pelletizing itself may be a solution," said Edward D. Meagher, of the local advocacy group People for the Environment. "But we do have concerns that must be answered."
Among his concerns are how toxins from household cleaners and industrial users can be kept out of the pellets, and the safety of food grown with pellets.
Critics say simply meeting current EPA standards is not enough to insure the pellets' safety.
"The ultimate solution is to keep the heavy metals out. If you can come up with sludge where the levels of these metals are safe, it could be a good thing," said Matthew L. Wilson, director of the Boston-based Toxics Action Center. "But our problem is the safeguards and requirements of the EPA are not as strict as they should be ... and testing of the material tends to be erratic."
The Waste Management Institute at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., has studied issues related to waste management since 1987. In 1997, its staff wrote a paper entitled "The Case for Caution," about the use of sludge on land.
The paper criticizes the federal standards governing sludge.
"The standards were developed through an extensive risk assessment but data gaps and nonprotective policy choices result in regulations which are not adequately protective of human health and the environment," the authors concluded.
Ellen Z. Harrison, director of the institute and one of the paper's authors, said she is not opposed to sludge fertilizer. But she said standards must be strengthened before she would feel comfortable recommending its use.
"The widespread application of sludges that are as dirty as they are allowed to be, I think, it a cause for concern," Ms. Harrison said.
In "The Case for Caution," Ms. Harrison claims EPA standards do not cover certain contaminants, are not as strict as other countries' and may underestimate the effect of allowable contaminants on people's and animals' health. The standards also do not take into account the possibility of the sludge fertilizer used on fields leaching into water sources, according to the paper.
Mark W. Jenner, a policy specialist with the American Farm Bureau, gave sludge fertilizer guarded sup- port.
"I would use exceptional quality biosolids on almost anything," he said. "We want to encourage the use of biosolids, we believe in it. But we also believe it must be treated correctly if it's going to be used."
Other groups oppose outright the conversion of sludge into fertilizer.
"We think it's an outrage," said Julie Rawson, coordinator of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. "What.you're doing is taking toxic waste and spreading it on our land. Once it's on the land, you've toxidified it and it really doesn't recover."
While NEFCo has found a market for the pellets produced in Quincy, some people question how much demand there really is for the product.
The sludge-to-fertilizer business can be risky, according to Mr. Jenner of the American Farm Bureau.
"One of the challenges the organic biosolids face is there's more of it than there is a demand for," Mr. Jenner said. "There are people that are making a lot of money from it, and there are those who are not. While the demand for it is growing, it's not like there's a huge exodus from chemical (fertilizers) to organics.
NEFCO's Mr. Dolan said his company cannot keep up with the demand for fertilizer pellets generated at its Quincy plant.
"The appetite in the marketplace for this product has increased so rapidly that if we produced three times the amount we do, there would be a market for it," he said.
Despite their concerns, few dispute the appeal of the idea of turning something as distasteful as sludge into a useful product.
"We all are responsible for generating (sludge)," said Mr. Jenner."If there isn't a useful way to incorporate that into another benefit, then we've got a real problem. But it must be monitored carefully."
Hold sludge plant to limits 4/22/00
To the editor
The North Andover Board of Health soon will be holding a public hearing regarding the proposed construction of a sludge-to-fertilizer plant within walking distance of downtown North Andover.
Because it is widely recognized that North Andover has more than its share of polluting facilities, thorough analysis must take into account the current condition of the region's water, air and soil. Most importantly, the context of the hearing must answer the single most important question: Will the proposed location of an additional facility that will emit more pollutants into our already overburdened environment be safe for area residents?
Proponents of the sludge-to-fertilizer plant refuse to be held contractually accountable to finite, enforceable limits on all air pollutants. Rather, they insist that the Board of Health award a permit on the blind faith that the facility will be safe. Need we be reminded that years ago, the town naively signed a contract allowing the Wheelabrator incinerator to operate without limits for mercury or dioxin? Today we are suffering the sad consequences.
The proposed project can and must be denied if it jeopardizes the health of our community. However, if cumulative analysis conclusively proves the safety of such a project, then a contract must be designed to ensure that the promises made by the plant's operators are enforceable. At a minimum, the contract must include:
1. stringent, finite limits on all air pollutants;
2. no onsite landfilling of sludge or fertilizer;
3. the establishment of an escrow account to cover strict penalties for violations; and
4. money to hire a consultant to monitor the facility.
I strongly urge my neighbors to attend the hearing on April 18 at 7 p.m. Your absence will send an unfortunate message that North Andover residents continue to stand with open arms to all polluters looking for a home.
EDWARD MEAGHER
North Andover
Activism flushes his face, fills life 4/22/00
Edward D. Meagher helped keep Mcdonald's restaurants from using Styrofoam containers, shut down a sludge incinerator and shook up the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District leadership.
By Christine Seymour
Eagle-Tribune Writer
NORTH ANDOVER At first glance, Edward D. Meagher appears mild-mannered.
Spend five minutes chatting with this bespectacled retired philosophy professor and he seems, well, mild mannered.
It is only when talk turns to issues concerning social justice or the environment that Mr. Meagher's face flushes and his hands come alive to emphasize his arguments.
Salem State College, where Mr. Meagher taught for 28 years, is honoring him for his activism on local, state and national causes. Two forums, one last Wednesday and the second this morning, centered on his personal mantra: Think globally, act locally.
Mr. Meagher is known best in local circles for his role as a tireless and intelligent watchdog on environ- mental issues. He is a fanilliar face at meetings on the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District's projects; a loud voice against a trash incineration plant once proposed for North Andover; and a prolific writer of letters to legislators on various issues.
When Mr. Meagher, now 61, took early retirement from Salem State in 1997, he did it so he could devote more time to his second career as a community activist. Sixty-hour weeks aside, he is having the time of his life.
"One reason I retired early was to put some meat behind my theory," said the former professor of environmental ethics. "I've put myself in the vanguard. I'm not embarrassed to say that, but I'm certainly not doing it alone."
Since retiring, Mr. Meagher has become president of Merrimack Valley People for Peace, co-chairman of Merrimack Valley People for the Environment, and was named the 1998 Democrat of the Year.
His 1960s sensibility is nothing new.
When he started teaching at Salem State College in 1969, the Vietnam War spawned regular student protests. He loved the atmosphere and stayed on.
But after the United States withdrew from the war, people started focusing on finding good jobs and less on what was going on in the world, he said.
He brought his concerns about the nonacademic world to the classroom when he created and taught an environmental ethics course.
In the 1980s, Mr. Meagher and several students concerned about the nuclear arms race started the Peace Institute at the college.
The institute persists under the leadership of professor Krishna Mallick.
Joan Kulash, who serves as cochairwoman of the Merrimack Valley People for the Environment with Mr. Meagher, credits her friend with drawing her into an active role.
"I was the kind of person who just liked to think everything was really OK," she said. "He's not one who asks you through words but encourages you and motivates you to do something through his own action. He changed my life in a rather dramatic way."
That enthusiasm for grassroots efforts is rooted deeply in Mr. Meagher's beliefs.
"Politicians are not going to lead. They need to be led," he said. "If a politician gets one hand-written letter, they know there are 1,000 others who feel the same way."
He has led local and regional efforts to stop McDonald's restaurants from using Styrofoam food containers, shut down a Lawrence sludge incinerator and pressured Greater Lawrence Sanitary District to reform its leadership.
His latest project is encouraging North Andover residents to pressure local political boards to scrutinize the GLSD's proposal to build a sludge-to-fertilizer plant in town.
Still, he is modest about his own role in getting people involved in causes. He said motivated people seek him out.
But his work has not gone unnoticed by his fellow North Andover residents.
"There are people who leave behind their ideals in their 20s," said Mark S. DiSalvo, a member of the town Democratic Committee. "Then there are people who strengthen their ideals and refine them well into their 60s and that's Ed Meagher. He's the quintessential member of the community."
Once plant is built, it's too late
To the editor:
Here we go again, being duped into another disaster about to happen in North Andover with this fertilizer plant being proposed. Once the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District plant gets its foot inside the door, what are we going to do about reversing the conditions that fertilizer plant will create? It's politics again.
Years ago, I was against building a high school without walls. How could anyone envision a schoolroom full of kids without any interruptions? Now, "they" awake to find out that it didn't work, so "they" are going to spend another $50 million or $60 million to build another highschool and scrap the one that is only 25 years old.
The point is this: A fertilizer plant is going to cause odors, like it or not, and once they get that plant up and running, then what? Go through a legal battle to have them tear it down? Come on residents of North Andover, don't get hoodwinked again by a lot of promises that will be broken, I am sure. Why don't they build a facility like that out in the woods somewhere and leave North Andover a nice, healthy place in which to live?
I am 91 years old or young and I've seen and gone through quite a lot. I know how politics works. Once politicians get what they want, the rest is easy and to heck with the people. You don't need the brains of a Daniel Webster to figure out this scheme. You may all forget, but I don't.
JOSEPH J. GRECO
North Andover
Selectmen green light fertilizer operation 3/23/00
The agreement will give North Andover a say in how a sludge-to-fertilizer plant is built and operated.
By Christine Seymour
Eagle-Tribune Writer
NORTH ANDOVER After more than a week of "intense" negotiations with the Greater Lawrence
Sanitary District, selectmen have reached an agreement over a proposed project to turn sludge into
fertilizer.
Yesterday, selectmen signed a memorandum of understanding that gives the town some control over the
GLSD's controversial project.
The GLSD plans to carry out a two-part project. First, they will make improvements to the existing
wastewater treatment facility off Charles Street, including odor reduction. Then, they will contract with
New England Fertilizer Co. to build a plant to turn sludge into fertilizer pellets on the same property.
The agreement will allow the Board of Health to do a technical review of the project's plans and hold public hearings. The board will decide whether to approve the project, and whether the GLSD should take
additional steps to address safety, health and environmental issues.
When the proposal first came before selectmen Feb.22, they objected to the tight timeline the GLSD set
down for the review process. The GLSD had requested that selectmen vote on a final agreement by April
15, with many meetings scheduled before then. Selectmen tabled the project at a meeting Feb.28.
Selectmen Chairman Keith A. Mitchell and Selectman John R. Leeman Jr. met with representatives from
the GLSD several times, beginning with a 2 1/2- hour impromptu meeting after the GLSD commission
voted to allow its lawyer to take steps to move ahead with the project with or without North Andover's
participation.
During a 4 1/2- hour meeting Wednesday, the selectmen and GLSD hammered out a memorandum of
understanding acceptable to both.
"It's a step in the right direction said Mr. leeman. "I never thought I would see this happen."
In the agreement selectmen signed yesterday:
The deadline to sign a final memorandum of understanding was extended to May 15.
No issues unrelated to the proposed project will be considered by th Board of Health, such as previous
disputes between the GLSD and the town.
A fee of$200,000 will be paid by the GLSD to the town for building permit and legal and consultant costs.
Air emissions will meet federal and state laws.
No odors caused by the two-part project may be detected off the GLSD property.
Noise will be limited to three decibels louder than the current noise.
Construction will occur only or weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Burning will not be allowed.
Truck routes for transporting waste to and from the site must be approved by the Board of Health.
Fire and emergency service costs will be reimbursed to the town by the GLSD.
Selectmen and the GLSD will continue to discuss whether the district will make payments in lieu of taxes
to the town.
The agreement also allows North Andover's representative to the GLSD to veto any vote to accept sludge from a community that is not a member of the GLSD.
Selectmen will vote at their next meeting on March 27 whether to extend the contract of an engineer who
has been advising them on technical issues.
Selectmen hailed the agreement as an historic change in the relationship between the town and the GLSD.
"The GLSD quite frankly extended an olive branch to us when they agreed to continue to negotiate even after we tabled their proposal," Mr. Mitchell said. "Every step of the way, they've incorporated a lot of
what we were asking for. Hopefully it's the beginning of a whole new era of cooperation between the town
and the GLSD".
Fertilizer plant could further pollute environment
To the editor:
Garbed in suits and equipped with slick presentations touting "state-of- the-art technology," the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District (GLSD) attempted to convince more than 60 residents at a public meeting that converting toxic sludge into fertilizer would bring good things to life. Their "expert consultant" initially
denied that the plant would emit pollutants or process industrial sludge. Although he eventually conceded
that the process would emit hazardous pollutants, he argued that they would all be safely within limits.
Sound familiar?
Behind the scenes, GLSD resists being held accountable to finite criteria only unenforceable
standards. Environmental documents reveal that the facility could increase some air pollutants by greater
than 300 percent and the current concentration of heavy metals in the sludge by 50 percent. They foresee possible exceedances of state standards for arsenic, cadmium and lead. These heavy metals, which are
linked to cancer, kidney and immune system diseases, will lace the fertilizer targeted for application on farmland all over the country. Did our North Andover Board of Health and Town Manager ponder this when they proclaimed that the plant would be "good for the town?"
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked our county as among the worst 20 percent of all counties in the United States regarding cancer risks from hazardous air pollutants. Lawrence's pediatric
asthma rate is more than twice the state average. We are surrounded by three incinerators responsible for
high levels of mercury emissions and our water bodies have the highest levels of mercury-contaminated
fish in Massachusetts.
Without a thorough analysis of it's potential cumulative impacts, we should be nothing short of outraged
by efforts to convince the public of the wonders of sludge-to-fertilizer plants. We urge the Board of
Selectmen to direct the Board of Health to act with an open mind in light of the facts expressed in this letter.
JOAN KULASH
North Andover
Residents To Get Say On Sludge -To-Fertilizer Plant
NORTH ANDOVER Residents will get a chance tonight to tell select- men how the board should
prooeed with a proposal from the regional wastewater treatment plant in town to build a sludge-to-fertilizer plant on their property.
The Board of Selectmen will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. at the Stevens Memorial Library on the
Greater Lawrence Sanitary District's $34 million proposal to improve their existing facility on Charles
Street and build a new fertilizer plant there.
Selectmen will vote after the public hearing whether to sign a memorandum of understanding with the
GLSD. The document would allow the district to start the process of getting permits from town boards, but it would not grant final approval of the project
The plant, built in the 1970s, treats wastewater from Lawrence, North Andover, Methuen, Andover and
Salem, N.H.
Proposed improvements would allow GLSD to stop trucking sludge to Maine, Connecticut and New
York, which the district has done since 1988 when the state closed the Charles Street sludge incinerators.
Instead, the sludge a semi-solid by-product of treating 52 million gallons of wastewater per day
will be dried and turned into pellets. The pellets will be used as fertilizer, primarily in Florida citrus
groves.
The Board of Health voted last week to sign the memorandum of understanding but the Board of Selectmen said it did not have enough time to review the document before their meeting last Monday.
Instead, it scheduled the public hearing this Monday, after which members will vote on whether to sign on.
"From our perspective, it's an important meeting," said Richard Hogan, executive director of the GI£D.
"We hope the Board of Selectmen will feel they have enough information to approve the memorandum Monday night."
While a brief delay probably would not significantly impact the project, a negative vote could, said Mr.
Hogan.
The contractor hired to handle the $16.7 million first phase of the project, Methuen Construction, told
GLSD this month it would drop the project if plans did not move forward. District officials had delayed
over several months signing an official contract with the contractor because of a dispute with the town whether GLSD needed town permits.
The memorandum of understanding would guarantee a review of the project to determine its
environmental and public health impact. It also sets up a schedule for public hearings and a deadline forsigning a final agreement with the town.
GLSD Project Should Get OK
By Tovah Lazaroff
CITIZEN STAFF
Pending expected approval from Selectmen, the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District can start on its
$30 million construction project as soon as it receives a building permit. That's thanks to an agreement worked out between the district and the North Andover Board of Health.
The GLSD plant, which began operation in 1977 on 98 acres of land in North Andover, treats an average of 34 million gallons per day of sewage for five communities including North Andover,Andover, Lawrence,Methuen, and Salem, New Hampshire. The district has recently embarked on a$30 million project to build a plant turning sewage into fertilizer pellets. The communities would save an estimated $1 million annually from the project, and truck traffic would be reduced from 17 vehicles on heavy days and 12 on normal ones down to one or two per day.
The district plans to start building the facility this spring and finish it a year later, in 200l. But plans
were on hold because of a disagreement with the town over the necessitv of local permitting fees.
The agreement voted on by the GLSD board on Tuesday. Feb. 15, and the North Andover Board of
Health on Thursday, Feb. 17, should end that deadlock. It only needs approval from the Board of Selectmen to make it official. The board had planned to vote on it at its meeting Tuesday, Feb.22, after press time. Results of that vote will be posted on the North Andover city website, www.townonline.com, when it becomes available.
The agreement allows the project to move forward with a building permit and a one-time fee of
$200,000 while the Board of Health and the GLSD investigate potential health, environmental and safety issues connecting to the project. It also includes an annual fee of up to $15,000 to monitor the facility with respect to health, environmental and safety issues.
The agreement whittles down the number of permits needed for the project, eliminating the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals. In the agrreement the town's attorney, Ken Kimmell, noted
that according to a Superior Court ruling of 1993 the facilities were unlikelv to be subject to local zoning approval.
It does give the Board of Health the power to reject the project for environmental, safety or health reasons.
As part of evaluatmg health, environmental and safety issues with the plant, the town has hired an independent consultant from TechEnviromental of Waltham, the firm that evaluated a similar facility in Quincy. The salary will he paid for with money from the $200,000 fee given to the town by the GLSD. Board of Health Chairman Gayton Osgood said he was pleased with the agreement.
"This was a difficult agreement to come to. I think it gave the Board of Health what it wanted.'
An independent company, Camp Dresser & McKee, was hired by the district to evaluate the project and concluded that it "will have no significant negative environmental impact" in a report finished this month. It showed that carbon disulfide, arsenic and cadmiun which will he emitted by the plant meets safety standards. It also noted that the area most likely to be impacted by the plant is the Lawrence Municipal Airport, and no one lives there.
The Board of Health wants to do its own research and the agreement allows them to do that.
Today the Board of Health is asking the state Department of Environmental Protection for advice with respect to the project and will he looking for a response within 10 days.
By March 17, the Board of Health will receive a report from its consulant.
During the week of March 20, the Board of Health will hold a public meeting with a presentation by GLSD about the project and input from the public. The Board has until April 3 to decide if the project
is harmful to the town.
If it is, the board can reject the project and refund any permitting fees alreadv paid to the town. The GLSD will then have 60 days to appeal the decision.
Assuming the board approves the project, the town and GLSD have until April 3 to create a binding document that addresses any health, environmental or safety issues concerning the project. Among the issues looked at will be air quality, odor, noise and traffic.
The week of April 3, the board will have a public meeting to discuss the "memorandum of understanding" and should vote on it by April 15.
Board of Health Chairman Gayton Osgood said he was pleased with the agreement.
"This was a difficult agreement to come to. I think it gave the Board of Health what it wanted."
Osgood said. The law under which the board would have been evaluating the plant was vague, but the agreement did a better job of outlining the board's power and setting up a process.
"It spells out everything," Osgood said.
The agreement does not mention anything about payment in lieu of taxes for the town. Such a fee has never been assessed by the town against the plant, but the town had recently said it was time the district started reimbursing the town for using land that would otherwise be netting the town money in property taxes. The town estimates that without the plant it would be receiving $275,000 annually in property taxes. Officials had said it wanted to include a payment in lieu of taxes clause in the building
fee, but have since decided against doing so.
Town Manager Robert Halpin said he believes the town can start collecting $165,000 annually as a payment in lieu of taxes from the independent operator of the sludge-to-fertilizer plant, run by the
Boston based New England Fertilizer Company. Halpin said a 1998 residual fee by-law adopted by the
annual Town Meeting should allow for that money to come to the town.
Other communities have asked for money, Halpin said. The city of Quincy is getting $2.2 million for a similar plant, Halpin said. That plant is three times the size of this one, so North Andover is charging less than other communities might, Halpin said.
A lot of good things are going on with the river in North Andover.
We need you to keep us abreast of things!See (About this website).
In April,
this group of hikers led by George Reasor and Mike Goriansky took a walk along the banks of the Shawsheen in North Andover.Meeting behind the old Mercury Shoe building, where the former bridge to Lawrence still pinches the river with its ancient stone trestles. Be careful here in high fast water,(you could lose a camera, or worse!).Travelling upstream past backwaters filled with beaver lodges, we passed this huge tree!The trail eventually crossed a stream and came out in the parking lot of the North Andover Mall. 