Above: For several weeks, one parking lot and a trail will be closed at BHCL to allow for dump cleanup work. (image cropped from Town announcement)
Today, the Town announced that progress on cleaning up an old farm dump will impact parking and trail access at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land.
BHCL will still be open to the public, but there will be restricted areas, starting Monday and lasting for several weeks.
According to the Conservation Agent Melissa Danza, cleanup of the dump is expected to begin by the start of next month. In preparation, work needs to be done to allow equipment to access the area.
[Note: If you want to enjoy the area before work begins, Saturday’s forecast is beautiful.]
Danza’s announcement today states:
On Monday, March 18, 2024, Strategic Environmental Services will begin to mobilize for the cleanup of the historic ‘farm dump’ located at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land (BHCL). During work which is expected to take several weeks, the Community Gardens parking lot and adjacent trail will be closed to the public for safety until the project is complete. Closed trails will be roped off and visitors should pay attention and follow signage on prohibited areas.
Beginning on Monday 3/18 the contractor will begin to install erosion controls, construction fencing, temporary construction access road, and trimming or clearing of areas within the roadway so that machinery and trucks can fit through and have places to park.
We expect by April 1st the land clearing within the dump area to commence. The contractor will begin by clearing and mulching all brush and smaller vegetation and then cutting larger trees that will be stockpiled onsite. Once all vegetation and trees have been removed, the contractor will begin to excavate the soil in accordance with the DEP approved Cleanup Plan. Solid waste will be separated from soils, temporary staged, and then placed in trucks to be hauled away to a proper disposal facility.
The Town has also hired TRC Environmental to oversee the Cleanup Actions to ensure proper soil and material testing, work is done according to the approved plan, and overall compliance with DEP Solid Waste & Asbestos Regulations.
Note that periodic testing throughout the last twenty years has shown no hazardous material or threat to public health.
A description of the history and list of approved plans and information can be found by clicking here.
Questions can be directed to the Conservation Agent, Melissa Danza, at mdanza@southboroughma.com or by calling 508-281-8984. The Conservation Commission & Stewardship Committee appreciate your patience during this time. Completion of this work will be extremely beneficial to the property by ensuring protection of our watershed and groundwater, removal of solid waste, and continued recreational opportunities at BHCL!
Town officials had been aware of the dump for decades but resisted investing in cleaning it up. In 2005 (and again in 2019) the Town had tests conducted that indicated the dump wasn’t contaminating the reservoir. But Conservation Commission Agent Carl Guyer still believed action was needed and began publicly pressuring for action. In 2020, the Health Director recommended the dump be cleaned up.
In 2022, the Mass Department of Environmental Protection required the Town to enter a Consent Order Agreement to take remediation steps. In 2023, Annual Town Meeting agreed to fund up to $2.5M for the cleanup.
There were delays while the Town tried to get an abutter to agree to having her soil tested to see if the dump had spilled onto her property. In public comment at a Select Board meeting, the abutter expressed concern that she wasn’t comfortable with the language of the agreement and potential liability and costs she could incur.
I reached out to Danza on that status. She told me that after a year, MassDEP agreed that the situation was out of the Town’s control and they could move ahead without studying the abutting land.
If the cleanup project shows evidence that materials did spill into the abutting land, DEP will pursue action with the abutter. But that would be between the private owner and the state, with no liability for the Town.
Updated (3/15/24 1:06 pm): I reached out for a trail map. Danza explained that they are currently in the process of having one developed that will be posted to the site. In the meantime, she shared an old version which I edited to show the changes that she explained in her email to me.
