Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 15, 2022 FORUM | FROM PAGE 5 ci said. “ They put a wall around it and put a slurry wall around it. They never built a liner or dug in, they just put a slurry wall around it. ” But the state then ruled that the landfill would be shut down when it looked like the final engineering plan. “ Then they proceeded — instead of closing the landfill down in December of 1996 — they proceeded to amend that consent order and the final engineering plan 11 or 12 times over the years, ” Pecci said. The legal battle continued over the years over the differences between an expansion of the landfill versus an expansion of capacity, allowing WIN Waste to fill several remaining stormwater valleys on the site. Pecci said Suuberg’s letter from last fall shows him holding to his word that MassDEP would not allow any further expansion at the ash landfill. “ Being in an Area of Critical Environmental Concern did not save us last time, but it should do so this time, ” Pecci said. “ I think you should feel confident that this will shut down, but we keep our eyes on MassDEP because we have to make sure that their bosses don’t change their minds. But I think we have got this beat, so we are actually going to shut this landfill down, ” she said. Eric Worrall, MassDEP’s regional director, said WIN Waste Innovations is required to give the agency an annual update on the estimated remaining capacity at the landfill. “ From November 2021, the most recent estimate is 3.6 to four years, so that would take us to the end of 2025, ” Worrall said. “ The final engineering plan — the closure plan — has already been approved by the department, so that is already in place. ” Once the landfill reaches the 50-foot-high elevation across the entire landfill, WIN Waste will be required to cap and close it. “ There are a couple of ways you can cap a landfill ; one is with a clay liner ; another is a geomembrane, which is pretty much what everybody uses these days because it’s much easier to work with ; it’s a very heavy, thick, polyethylene-duty liner, which once you shape and grade the landfill to the final contours, that goes down, ” Worrall said. “ Then you have your drainage layer on top of that and you loam and seed on top of that. ” Once the landfill is filled and capped, there also needs to be a post-closure plan in place for 30 years that includes monitoring, Worrall said. In November 2020, the Saugus Board of Health formed a Landfill Subcommittee for the purpose of sitting down with WIN Waste Innovations to determine how the town can better benefit from the presence of the company. That committee has met many times, with WIN Waste representatives attending every meeting. Committee members have had the opportunity to express what they would want to see in a Host Community Agreement, and the company is expected to present the Landfill Committee with a proposal this spring. “ We are pleased to have worked collaboratively with the Landfill Committee over the last 17 months, ” said James Connolly, WIN Waste Innovations Vice President of Environmental Affairs. “ Based on those conversations and priorities expressed by members of the committee, we look forward to the opportunity to present our proposal for a Host Community Agreement and continuing a dialog that allows us to enhance our economic, environmental and community value to Saugus and the region, ” Connolly said. ESTIMATED LANDFILL LIFE : State Department of Environmental Protection officials say there is enough remaining capacity of the ash landfill at the site of the WIN Waste Innovations trash-to-energy plant to last through the end of 2025. ( Saugus Advocate file photo by Mark E. Vogler) MBTA releases service information for Marathon Monday T he MBTA recently announced service information and a special Commuter Rail fare for the day of the 2022 Boston Marathon. To find the best Marathon viewing location on the T, riders are encouraged to visit the MBTA’s Boston Marathon Guide at mbta.com/Marathon, which highlights MBTA stations closest to the Marathon route and includes helpful information on purchasing fares, parking and more. The MBTA also reminds riders that face coverings are required on all MBTA vehicles and within the system – with more safety information available at mbta.com/ridesafer. Commuter Rail Marathon Pass On April 18, the MBTA will offer a special $15 Marathon Pass valid for all-day, unlimited travel on all Commuter Rail lines through all zones. This special $15 Marathon Pass is available for purchase beginning April 11 through April 18 on the mTicket app and from ticket offices at North, South and Back Bay Stations. The $15 Marathon Pass is also available aboard trains via cash or credit card on April 18 only. Riders should note that the $15 Marathon Pass cannot be purchased at fare vending machines, and it is not valid for subway or bus travel. MBTA service information for the 2022 Boston Marathon For public safety reasons, Copley Station will be closed for the entire day on April 18. Riders are instead encouraged to use Arlington Station (serving all Green Line branches), Prudential Station (Green Line E branch), Hynes Convention Center Station (Green Line B, C and D branches) or Back Bay Station on the Orange Line. From approximately 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., above-ground Green Line stops at South Street (B branch), Kent Street (C branch) and St. Mary’s Street (C branch) will be closed. The Red, Orange, Blue and Silver Lines will operate a regular weekday schedule on April 18 with additional service before and after the race. Buses will operate a regular weekday schedule on April 18, though some bus routes will be detoured to accommodate the Marathon and other festivities. Customers are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alerts for more information on these changes. All Commuter Rail lines will operate a regular weekday schedule on April 18 – except for the Newburyport/Rockport Line. As part of broader service changes to accommodate signal, track and bridge improvement work, Newburyport/Rockport Line riders should note, shuttle buses will operate from Rockport to Salem Stations on April 18 with trains operating from Salem to North Stations. Shuttle buses will also operate from Newburyport to Salem Stations on April 18 with trains operating from Salem to North Stations. A separate schedule for each time frame will be available on mbta.com. All commuter boat and ferry service as well as The RIDE service will operate a regular weekday schedule. The RIDE may be detoured to accommodate the Marathon and related events. Bicycles are prohibited onboard all MBTA subway vehicles (including folding bicycles) for the entire day on April 18. Backpacks, coolers, cans, bottles and large items are not permitted at the Marathon. Parking information Customers planning to park in an MBTA garage or lot on April 18 should allow additional travel time and note that some garages and lots might fill very quickly due to heavy parking demand. Real-time parking capacity information for Alewife, Beverly, Braintree, Route 128, Salem, Quincy Adams, Wonderland and Woodland continues to be tweeted from @MBTA_ Parking.
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