Residents and health officials press Gardiner sludge landfill project as MEPA public comment period nears

Templeton residents and local health and conservation officials urged close scrutiny of the City of Gardner’s draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for a proposed sludge landfill expansion, saying the site is near town wellheads and that monitoring shows existing contamination concerns.

The board heard from Terry Griffiths of Templeton Community Against Toxic Waste and from Alan Russo, a Gardner Board of Health member and nearby property owner, who said earlier monitoring at a nearby closed solid‑waste landfill had produced 33 exceedances of state standards, including four detections of 1,4‑dioxane — a contaminant of concern. “This begs the question” of whether adding a new sludge disposal area is prudent, Griffiths said.

Russo briefed the board on the MEPA schedule: Gardner’s DEIR is expected to be published in the Environmental Monitor on March 26, which will trigger a 30‑day public comment period ending April 25. The DEIR is prepared by the project proponent and the executive office will determine whether the document is sufficient or whether a supplemental DEIR is required.

Members of the public and local boards asked how monitoring would be funded, who would oversee ongoing sampling, and how erosion and liner maintenance would be enforced. Participants also noted conservation‑commission enforcement orders and a recent erosion event at the closed sludge site that prompted MassDEP site visits.

The Select Board asked staff to work with local health and conservation officials and to prepare comments for the town; board members indicated they would seek to submit a comment before the April 25 deadline. Officials encouraged residents to review the DEIR once published and to use the MEPA comment process to raise site‑specific questions.