Conservation commission leaves sludge-landfill enforcement order open after persistent erosion, contamination concerns

The Gardner Conservation Commission left an enforcement order open for the city’s sludge landfill after members and staff described continuing erosion, sediment migration and community concerns about hazardous contaminants.

Residents and staff told the commission the site is repeatedly failing erosion controls during rain events and sending silt and possibly contaminants off the landfill slopes and into adjacent wetlands. Alan Russo, a resident who submitted photos, said, “I’m concerned about the release of hazardous contaminants including PFAS which we know is in the sludge.”

Commission members and public‑works staff described recent short‑term repairs — new silt fence, waddles, stone check dams and jute matting — and daily site visits. DPW staff said crews are checking the site before and after storms and that inspection notes sometimes show a pass/fail outcome depending on timing and conditions. “Every day, he’s gonna get an email he’s gonna forward to us,” a staff member said when describing the daily reporting process for field checks.

Commissioners pressed staff on whether the landfill’s leachate collection and containment systems are functioning and whether routine soil and water sampling is being conducted for PFAS and 1,4‑dioxane. The commission asked staff to send another correspondence to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and said it has not received a definitive follow‑up from DEP staff who were previously on site. Commission discussion also noted internal DEP contacts by name: Tom Rodulos (wetlands) and Dan Karpaska (Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup).

The commission discussed longer‑term fixes, including hiring an engineer to redesign the drainage system and potential improvements within the landfill footprint. Staff said a full drainage redesign would be a substantial project involving clearing and construction; staff added that a landfill cap is expected in the future under existing plans (members referenced a planned final cap near 2027–2029), so work now is focused on temporary repairs and maintenance until any larger project proceeds.

Facing repeated breaches during heavy rain, commissioners agreed to keep the enforcement order open and continue to monitor the site, receive daily inspection reports and to contact DEP for a formal remediation response. The chairman summarized the commission’s next steps: “We’re gonna leave this enforcement order open, and we’ll just keep looking for those reports on the inspections.”

The commission requested more precise inspection notes from DPW on why particular inspections were flagged as failures and asked staff to follow up on sampling plans and leachate flow data for the sludge landfill specifically. No formal engineering contract or capital appropriation was approved at the meeting; commissioners said they would revisit the issue if another breach occurs or when DEP provides guidance or a remediation plan.

For now, staff will continue daily and storm‑related monitoring, maintain temporary erosion controls, forward inspection emails to the commission and pursue further DEP engagement.