|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Environmental Protection Agency has fined seven waste and recycling facilities in Massachusetts a combined $170,000 for illegally discharging industrial waste into U.S. waters, including two facilities owned by E.L. Harvey & Sons, Inc. in New Bedford.
The regional waste company’s New Bedford garage and waste transfer station were found to have dumped contaminated stormwater into the city’s waterways over the course of two years between February 2022 and March 2024. E.L. Harvey’s “Zero Waste” facility in Rochester was also cited for contamination over that same period.
E.L. Harvey received a $86,000 fine for violating the Clean Water Act, which requires individuals to seek out a permit before dispensing any industrial byproducts into U.S. waters. The EPA also fined Trojan Recycling, Inc., Nauset Disposal Holdings, Inc., and Arrowhead Environmental Partners, LLC between $38,000 and $20,000 for similar violations at facilities in Brockton, Plymouth, South Yarmouth, and Ayer.
The EPA did not specify how much contaminated water the violating companies had dispensed into Massachusetts waterways. E.L. Harvey did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
This is the second fine the New Bedford waste transfer station has received in three months. In September, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fined E.L. Harvey $29,980 for failing to prevent a rodent infestation at its Shawmut Avenue waste transfer station. In May, the waste transfer station experienced a fire that released rats into the surrounding neighborhood, including a nearby playground.
During an inspection after the fire, MassDEP found “hundreds” of rats at the waste transfer facility.
The incident occurred as the New Bedford Board of Health considered a proposal for a new waste transfer station, this time proposed by South Coast Renewables, LLC, at the New Bedford Business Park this fall. Residents speaking out against the proposal pointed to the E.L. Harvey facility as a warning sign that companies could not reliably prevent fires or rodent infestations at waste handling facilities.
The Board of Health voted to deny the proposal in mid-September, but South Coast Renewables appealed the decision six weeks later.
Mayor Jon Mitchell thanked MassDEP at the time for holding E.L. Harvey accountable.
New Bedford Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling said in a phone call Wednesday that the city’s wastewater treatment plant reports any unusually high levels of contamination to the federal government to help enforce the Clean Water Act. He added that city inspectors, including those from the Health and Fire departments, are trained to deal with hazardous materials.
“The City will continue to monitor and act on any concerns or violations of local ordinance, as well as communicate any concerns regarding violations of state or federal laws to our partners on those levels,” Darling said in a statement. “We encourage anyone with information about a potential environmental violation to contact the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Environmental Protection of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Email Brooke Kushwaha at bkushwaha@newbedfordlight.org.
Can we Sue New Bedford for dumping human waste into Buzzard Bay everytime it rains. The Buzzard Bay Coalition will sue homeowners but not the city. Politics at its best, but please donate to a non profit to save the bay. LOL
Arrowhead in ayer is actually owned by waste connections which is the parent company of El Harvey. I believe nauset disposal is also now owned by waste connections as well
Almost 30 years ago in a meeting on the final EPA Environmental Report regarding the building of the new sewerage treatment plant it stated that storage systems should be built to contain sewerage overflows to protect our area’s waters and beaches and to this day nothing has been done. Every time we have a major rain event thousands of gallons of raw sewerage pour into the Acushnet River, Clark’s Cove, and Buzzards Bay. Mayor Mitchell has been in office for over 10 years and nothing has been done. This administration has shown it does not care about the environment (our waters, beaches, and quality of life). Time for change in City Hall.