Above: The Great Cedar Swamp (photo from Cedar Swamp Conservation Trust)
A reader pointed me to a recent article in Boston Globe about the proposed CSX chemical transfer station just over the border in Westborough. Local environmentalists are raising concerns about the proximity of the site to the Great Cedar Swamp.
Local environmentalists have raised concerns about the proposed Westborough rail yard’s proximity to the Great Cedar Swamp, a 1,650-acre protected wetland that straddles Hopkinton, Southborough, and Westborough. Storm-water runoff from the yard might carry hazardous chemicals into the swamp, harming wildlife and tainting water that feeds drinking wells, they said.
“There are specific requirements that have to be made because of the designation of the wetlands and surface waters,’’ said John Craycroft, president of the Cedar Swamp Conservation Trust, a nonprofit group based in Westborough. “We don’t think they can meet them.’’
CSX says they’re taking appropriate precautions and that project won’t harm the swamp. You can read more in the Globe article here.
