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Templeton Select Board approves letter urging DEP not to certify Gardner sludge DEIR; board votes 3–1 to send response
Summary
The select board approved a legal response to the Gardner sludge landfill DEIR citing unresolved questions about stormwater, air monitoring and groundwater protections, and asked the town to consider retaining an environmental attorney if needed.
The Templeton Select Board voted to send a letter to state regulators raising objections to the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Gardner sludge landfill expansion, citing what the board called inadequate mitigation plans for stormwater, air emissions and groundwater protections.
Terry (surname not specified), who moved the letter, told the board the report's stormwater chapter "does not fulfill the city's responsibility for mitigation" and said multiple sections gave answers the town found "cut and paste" and inadequate. She urged the board to file the letter during the extended comment period so Templeton's concerns would be part of the administrative record.
The letter as finalized criticizes the DEIR's reliance on older studies, the absence of contemporaneous monitoring‑well fixes (the letter notes several monitoring wells were broken and needed repair) and the report's characterization of impacts as "no significant adverse impacts." The draft letter requests that the DEIR not be certified while those concerns remain unaddressed.
Terry said she had been advised that, if the town may need later legal help, preserving this comment in the record and budgeting for an environmental attorney would be prudent. "It is recommended that we put it in our budget to consult an environmental attorney," she said.
Select Board Chair Timothy Toth opened discussion noting the town had previously sent letters to the DEP on the matter. Mike (select board member) and Jeff expressed reservations about the letter's tone and potential to appear to dictate actions to neighboring Gardner. Despite that, the board approved the letter; the chair asked that the board signatures be added and staff circulate the finalized letter for signature and filing. The board recorded the vote as three ayes, one nay.
Ending: Staff said the letter could be signed tonight and sent to the DEP within the extended comment period; the board asked staff to circulate a final copy to the board for signature and to keep the town attorney and conservation commission informed of next steps.
