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Residents press Gardner City on landfill testing and leachate pumps after repeat exceedances; MassDEP notified
Summary
Public comments raised concerns about PFAS and dioxin exceedances in local wells and a pond, asked whether MassDEP or CDC has responded; staff confirmed exceedances were reported to the state and that work is underway to pursue cleanup and to repair leachate pumps.
Residents and board members pressed city staff for clearer action after recent test results showed repeated exceedances in some monitoring wells and surface-water locations; staff confirmed those exceedances have been reported to state authorities and described steps the city is taking, including preparations for legal action and repairs to leachate pumps.
A resident identified as Marusa of Elevated Spring Road asked whether the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) had commented on the test results. Staff replied that the exceedances were reported through the Massachusetts contingency plan process and to MassDEP and that the contractor (CDC cited in the transcript) handled reporting duties. Staff said, "Yes. They have. So these exceedances have been roof wire to them." (transcript phrasing).
Public commenters and board members discussed repeat sampling for dioxin in certain ponds; staff said two rounds were taken last year after initial low-level detections and that a later sample showed results below the exceedance threshold reported in the earlier tests. Transcript remarks noted a comparison value of 0.3 for dioxin in the reporting, but staff said they were checking with MassDEP and the contractor about whether a second confirmatory round was needed.
Board members and commenters also raised operational concerns about the landfill leachate system. One participant asked about the environmental impact if multiple leachate pumps are not functioning. Staff said they would obtain and provide a more detailed answer; later in the meeting staff reported that an updated cost estimate for pump repair was being prepared and that the system involves multiple pumps (the transcript referenced six pumps in the leachate system). The board indicated it intends to pursue cleanup action; a staff comment noted plans to move a property-related enforcement matter into court to seek remediation.
No new regulatory enforcement order was issued at the meeting. Staff committed to follow up with MassDEP’s recommended next steps, to advise whether the state requires additional confirmatory sampling, to provide clearer technical explanations (for example, licensed-site-professional—LSP—analysis of monitoring locations and groundwater-flow assumptions), and to update the board on leachate-pump repair scheduling and cost estimates.
