THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 26, 2022 Page 7 LETTER OF OPPOSITION | FROM PAGE 6 ulation that the landfi ll will once again reach capacity by 2024, and now we are discussing how the company can circumvent what is right, just by once again extending capacity limits beyond that date for another two decades. Of particular concern to our constituents and ourselves, is how keeping this unlined landfi ll active could impact neighborhoods in Saugus and Revere during coastal fl ooding events. The current plan allows the two remaining valleys of the five that were put there to protect our constituency from storm water surges and coastal fl ooding. These two remaining valleys had been capped and are the closest in proximity to the Pines River. Re-opening these 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 fl ooding 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 landfill, 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 Jeffrey 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 LETTER OF OPPOSITION | SEE PAGE 11 THIS WEEK ON SAUGUS TV Sunday, Aug. 28 from 9–11 p.m. on Channel 8 – “Sunday Night Stooges” (The Three Stooges). Monday, Aug. 29 all day on Channel 8 – “Movie Monday” (classic movies). Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – WIN (Wheelabrator) Subcommittee Meeting from Aug. 24. Wednesday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. on Channel 8 – Wrestling Legends, Sports World. Thursday, Sept. 1 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – Board of Appeals Meeting from Aug. 25. Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. on Channel 8 – Empire Pro Wrestling, Marshfi eld Fair from 2009. Saturday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. on Channel 8 – From the Vault, Creating Container Gardens. Saugus TV can be seen on Comcast Channels 8, 9 & 22. For complete schedules, please visit www.saugustv.org. Valid as of 8/11/2022* Open a 3-year CD with one of the region’s highest rates. Make your money work harder, longer, with our 3-year certificate of deposit account. Stop into one of our branches to open an account. 419 BROADWAY. EVERETT, MA 02149 771 SALEM ST. 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