THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2022 Page 17 VOICE | FROM Page 7 two valleys and fi lling them with an additional 500,000 tons of ash, fl ies in the face of common sense, especially with the projected flooding and sea level rises in this extremely sensitive wetland. Our concern, and that of those we represent, is if WIN continues dumping ash into this landfi ll indefi nitely, the river and the neighborhood across from it would be even more susceptible to contamination in the event of an intense coastal storm. Additionally, if fl ood waters reach the property and contaminate the active part(s) of the landfi ll, there is no doubt the landfi ll’s integrity would be compromised, and ash would get into the waters. Similar to fl ooding concerns for neighborhoods in Revere, a number of instances have occurred in Saugus. Constituents of the Sixteenth Suff olk District in East Saugus who live in neighborhoods closest to the Rumney Marsh experience the same level of fl ooding on their streets and in their homes. The conditions during storms have been so severe at times that an entire section of Route 107, right in front of the WIN facility, has been closed to traffi c in both directions due to extreme fl ooding. Also, the Commuter Rail tracks, which run right alongside the landfi ll, have been fl ooded on more than one occasion. As a result of MassDEP’s decision to grant WIN Saugus the fi - nal permit to move forward with this expansion, without mandating WIN go before the Saugus Board of Health for a new Site Assignment, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Town of Saugus fi led an appeal before Suff olk Superior Court to reverse the agency’s decision. In August of 2019, the Superior Court denied the appeal. Justice Kenneth Salinger opined: “(The plaintiff’s) assertion that DEP could not modify the operating permit because the board never assigned this site as a location for a landfi ll is without merit. This site was being used as a landfi ll when the Solid Waste Management Act was fi rst enacted; it has therefore been assigned for landfi ll purposes by operation of law since 1955.” In the most recent proposal, WIN stated the deal is contingent on receiving both local and state permits. The proposal promises a cash incentive to the Town of Saugus to allow the facility to continue dumping ash for an additional 25 years at the landfi ll. This would require an expansion of the landfi ll as well as bury more than 2.5 million tons of additional ash to the landfi ll within these 25 years. MassDEP has already determined that additional ash over the 50-foot maximum height or expanding the footprint will not be allowed, since the incinerator is located in an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). In a letter from MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg to State Representative Jeff rey Turco, dated Nov. 16, 2021, Suuberg states: “Any future proposals for expansion would require a modifi cation to the facility’s site assignment and approval from MassDEP and the Saugus Board of Health. As the landfi ll is located within an ACEC, an expansion of the landfi ll (including vertical expansion) would need to meet the site suitability criteria in the Regulations with respect to the site assignment. While an applicant is free to propose a site assignment modifi - cation, and MassDEP will review information submitted, based upon the information presently before MassDEP, the facility fails to meet the necessary site suitability criteria to allow for expansion within the ACEC and therefore would not receive a positive site suitability determination. Without a positive site suitability determination from MassDEP, a proposal to amend the facility’s site assignment to allow for vertical expansion would not advance to the Saugus Board of Health for consideration.” Twenty years after this site should have closed operations, WIN is still putting profi ts over people. The idea that our community could allow this or any corporation to pay for the ability to pollute is absurd. Under no circumstances do we support any expansion of the unlined ash landfi ll that sits in the center of the beautiful Rumney Marsh, an ACEC itself. Saugus and Revere voters cannot be silenced with money. The damage to the environment and the health of neighbors will surely surpass any monetary benefi t posed by this expansion if it has not already. We are opposed to this or any scheme that risks the health of our neighbors or neighborhoods. Though it is too late to reverse MassDEP’s 2018 decision, now is the time to mandate a definitive closure date of this unlined landfi ll, which should have ceased operation in December of 1996. At this juncture in time, we should be discussing closure and remediation plans, yet the Town of Saugus is entertaining yet another expansion with the interest and intent in using the site for the dumping of ash indefi nitely. It is time to require WIN to begin closure of this landfi ll, and plan for remediation to safeguard what is already there. Thank you for your attention to this matter. If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our offi ces. Sincerely, Jessica Ann Giannino State Representative Sixteenth Suff olk District Jeff rey R. Turco State Representative Nineteenth Suff olk District Lydia Edwards State Senator First Suff olk and Middlesex
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