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Conservation commission continues enforcement order on sludge landfill amid ponding, DEP review
Summary
The Gardner Conservation Commission voted to keep an enforcement order on the sludge (Sledge) landfill after extended discussion about ponding, erosion and monitoring. Staff and the landfill operator said weekly inspections and new barriers are in place while state (DEP) review proceeds.
The Gardner Conservation Commission voted to continue an enforcement order on the municipal sludge landfill after members raised concerns about ponding on the landfill cap, erosion and potential impacts to nearby wetlands and private wells.
The commission’s action followed more than an hour of discussion with town staff, the site engineer and members of the public about inspection reports, an operations-and-maintenance (O&M) manual and temporary silt barriers placed at the wetland edge. Commissioner questions focused on why top-ponding — standing water on the landfill cap — has occurred repeatedly and whether current controls are adequate to prevent further off-site migration of sediment or leachate.
The continued enforcement order keeps…
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