WPI Survey Link

Waterline sign up map posted to documents page. CBOH and Waterline Public Meeting videos posted to videos page.
Presentation slides are posted on documents page.
Parcel maps are posted on the documents page. These are as they were during the presentation (no edits yet). If you need to dicuss your parcel design with Tighe & Bond, contact Jeff  Faulkner or Cassandra LaRochelle  at: JAFaulkner@tigheBond.com 508-471-9620
CLaRochelle@tigheBond.com 508-471-9644

Casella cutting "extras" in Southbridge. T&G article HERE

Update 10.19.2017 - Pump station property has been purchased, according to Town Administrator. ZBA hearing scheduled for 24 October is not expected to discuss Sterns property and the pump house, but there are other items on their agenda.

Pump station property purchase delayed months by town agencies. Purchase expected to be completed the week of Oct 16th. This has NO impact to the waterline completion date of Nov 2018 for the HFoote/Berry area as per DEP and our Town Administrator.        T&G Article Here

Phase 2.10 Appeal of Negative Site Suitability withdrawn by SRDP. There are currently no applications in front of the DEP to expand the Southbridge Landfill.

Water line design to be completed by March 2018
Water Line Installation: May 2018-November 2018
Final street paving: May 2019-June 2019

Casella calls it quits at Southbridge Landfill.... closure expected by end of 2018!
Letter to Southbridge Town Council HERE
Q2 Earnings Report where closure is discussed:
Earnings Call
Earnings Report
Article in Waste 360
T&G Article Casella to close lanfill by end of 2018
Toxics Action Center Article HERE
Worcester Magazine Article HERE
Worcester Magazine Article About Southbridge Future After Landfill Closure
Worcester TV Landfill Story w/Dan Butler
Casella Goodbye Letter to Residents of Southbridge
T&G Letter - Its Not Over
Sterns parcel for pump house was purchased. Design should be moving forward in Southbridge for the waterline.

Notice of Noncomplaince for Odor Isuues Here .WasteDive article Here
T&G article Here.

Landfill may close as soon as 2018 WasteDive article Here

Supplemental data from Casella on the appeal shows even worse contamination. The highest level of 1,4 Dioxane was found in a temporary well in the Phase 2.10 parcel (the parcel being appealed). Over 400ug/L, (more than 10x the level in the irrigation well) and the highest level of 1,4 Dichlorobenzene was also found in a temporary well in the 2.10 parcel. No comment from Casella on T&G article Here

Casella promises to leave quietly if the vote is NO. Video Here.
1303-852 said No. Except, if the DEP issues a positive determination of site suitability after July 7th, Southbridge BOH MUST have a site assignment hearing about expanding the landfill vs. danger to the public health and environment. Empty hollow promises yet again from Casella concerning the NO vote..... Of course, they could notify the DEP they are no longer interested in the Phase 2.10 expansion if they wanted to drop the appeal, end the process, pack up and leave as promised- but we all know THAT was NEVER going to happen......

The Voters have spoken! Southbridge voters overwhelmingly vote 1303-852 to not expand the landfill. Despite being outspent 10-1 by Casella, the grassroots movement prevailed! Casella promised to go quietly if the people of Southbridge didnt want them to stay.... now it is time to keep that promise... T&G Article Here WasteDive Article Here CLF blog post Here

***NELC and Charlton Residents have filed suit against SRDP/Casella and the Town of Southbridge for environmental pollution eminating from the Southbirdge Landfill*** Complaint Here Press Release Here T&G Here

Southbridge Evening News Article from 2003 Here (TAC:"Overall, in our experience with Casella, they come in and bully the town, and when they get what they want they leave it behind in environmental ruins")

Wastedive Article Here
T&G article on Casella spending Here
Casella spends over 100k on 'non binding' Question 1 (report Here)

CSM Article Here
Worcester Mag Article Here
T&G article on Casella church meeting for residents HERE.
CLF Talking Trash Blog on Zoning Order Being Upheld HERE

Oversight Hearing on Landfills and Solid Waste videos posted on videos page

Charlton ZBA upholds Cease & Desist Order by a 3-2 vote. A variance for 'use' is not an option. Videos posted. Tom Cue said at a Southbridge meeting on 9 May that Casella plans to appeal decision in court

Decision Appealed DEP has decided to review submital with additional information to consider changing negative determination to positive determination. Public comment period will begin soon on Site Suitability for Phase 2.10 Expansion. DEP initial decision is HERE. SRDP submittal is HERE. WRITE THOSE LETTERS ONE LAST TIME!!!!

T&G Article on Petition for Ballot Question Here
Casella response to T&G article below Here
Southbridge Sours on Casella T&G Article

Tri-Community Meeting in Southbridge T&G Article

Casella and State to split water line cost in Charlton T&G Article
MassDEP News Release
John Casella discusses water line at 2016 Q4 conf call here

Sturbridge Seeks State Aid for Area with Tainted Water T&G Article

Videos of 23 Feb Landfill Overisght Comm. and SBOH meeting are on Videos page

T&G Article - Casella fined for violations

Application for Phase 11 "Berms" received Technical Deficiency Notice and requires a lot more work. Notice is HERE

Article on negative determination in T&G HERE
Article on negative determination in Boston Herald HERE

National Environmental Law Center files notice for intent to sue Town of Southbridge and SRDP for Clean Water Act and RCRA violations. Read press release HERE and T&G article HERE

Cleanwells tests two wells in Sturbridge. 1,4 Dioxane found in one well. Upon further DEP testing 14/15 homes detect lead, with 8 homes over the EPA action level of 15ug/L, with one as high as 410ug/L. Five homes have 1,4 Dioxane detections. Other results showed MTBE, chromium and barium, all detected at landfill. Monitoring well contamination history to the right shows history of contamination detections found at Southbridge landfill, with some exceeding the action level since 1994. Two of the 20 wells with exceedances were over 1000ug/L....(click HERE for current Sturbridge test results from DEP) Historical lead exceedance data is HERE.

Sturbridge voices concerns over their well contaminations at BOH meeting. Read T&G article HERE. Video of meeting will be on VIDEOS page (link at top of page)

Sturbridge Resident's letters concerning recent well contaminations HERE

T&G Article on 1,4 Dioxane detection in Sturbridge

Letter to the Editor of T&G concerning Mailer Sent to Southbridge Residents

Mailing From Casella to Southbridge Residents Seems to Say: "Support our Expansion Plans or Else Risk Sickness and Pollution." So making hundreds of millions off this landfill over the past 13 years wasn't eonugh to clean up the landfill and protect our health and environment???? Is our health being held hostage as a trade for expansion? This essentially is extortion.
T&G Article on Casella Mailing

Zoning Violation and Cease & Desist letter to Casella/Southbridge

T&G Article on Cease & Desist letter

Casella sued zoning board and residents in Hardwick over zoning enforcement


Phase 2.10 DEP determination of BWP SW 01 Site Suitability  Application response issue is NEGATIVE. Process HERE.
Phase 1.11 DEP Draft Decision on SW 26 Major Expansion permit Application is Technically Deficient. Process HERE.

DEP Review of Hydro Study HERE

DEP review conclusions: "Based upon our review of the data presented in support of T&Bs CSM, MassDEP concludes that there is insufficient information provided to rule out the Southbridge (landfill) as the source of the 1,4-dioxane found in the residential wells on H-Foote Road and Eleanor Lane."

1.MUCH more testing required to validate claims that the landfill is not the source of contamination.
2.Statements are made that there is a potential for preferential groundwater pathways in a NNE direction!
3. Lineaments with an ENE or E trend may...identify areas where local groundwater gradients have an eastward trend.
4.Some regional groundwater flow likely discharges to Cady Brook....and may include flow that has passed beneath the landfill.
5. Local flow directions in fractured bedrock do not always follow the steepest gradient but are dependent on the orientation of fractures and connectivity of the fracture system.
6. Former Airport well is 592' deep, but the "clean" water sample was collected at 97'.
7. Irrigation well is over 900' deep but only packer tested to 188'. This well has the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane found  (over 40ug/L). Typical homes have a value of .6ug/L (more than 66x less than the irrigation well).
8. Monitoring wells are not installed.......to adequately characterize site conditions.....and to determine the fate and transport of contaminates of concern.
9. Regardless of relative elevations of the landfill monitoring wells, the simplistic
argument that water does not flow uphill is misleading.
10. 1,4-dioxane is found upgradient of stated groundwater flow at the landfill in three wells.
11. It is MassDEP's concern that the characterization performed thus far has not been a comprehensive site characterization and should not be purported as such.
12. Landfill monitoring wells are insufficient to prove that the landfill is not the source of contamination in private wells.
13. MassDEP disagrees with both SanbornHead and T&B's premise that the landfill could not be the source.

 Watch the opening remarks from the DEP at the meeting in Charlton held on 15 September 2016 here. The rest of the meeting is on the Videos page here.

Southbridge BOH meeting with DEP videos posted 19 Jan 2017
-DEP reiterates to BOH they do not gree with the results of the hydro study
-DEP said they believe the landfill is the potentially responsible party for the source of the contamination
-DEP stated the barrel found on the Fox property on HFoote is NOT a potential source of the contamination on HFoote, and it has since been removed. The ground and area around the barrel was tested and no contaminates were found, as the barrel was not found to be leaking.
-DEP does not believe the claim that water cannot be flowing toward HFoote, since there are no deep bedrock water studies of the area.
-T&B stated only trace amounts, not source levels,  of 1,4 Dioxane exist at landfill; Cleanwells requested T&B data supporting that claim. Multiple monitoring well tests at the landfill have clearly shown very high levels of 1,4 Dioxane since 2009 when 1,4 Dioxane testing began (with one over 40ug/L). No home well test has EVER come close to some of the levels of 1,4 Dioxane seen at the landfill well tests. Clearly, the highest levels of 1,4 Dioxane, which can be considered source levels,  are found at the landfill.
-The SBOH requested documentation from CleanWells concerning the contamination at the landfill

For information on the 1,4 Dioxane detections in Sturbridge, contact the Sturbridge BOH at 508-347-2504.

Dump Casella Part 9 in Charlton Villager
Latest Violations and Fines at Southbridge Landfill HERE

The DEP received about 180 comment letters. Everyone did a great job voicing their concerns!

T&G Article- Casella retaliation?
T&G Time to go, Casella
Boston Herald Article 11 Dec 2016, Page 3

Charlton Villager Dump Casella Part 8

FoxNews article on NH landfill, 1,4 Dioxane and PFCs & Cancer

T&G article- 21 days to submit comment letters

 3 Nov 2016 Southbridge BOH meeting notes:
The Chairman stated the September 2016 MTBE detection at a home on Berry Corner road must prove water flows from the Berry Corner area to the landfill (he believes it must be from the Exxon spill many years ago), not the other way around since there has been no MTBE detections at the landfill. This is false. The records obtained from the DEP clearly show monitoring well test data listing HIGHER levels of MTBE AT THE LANDFILL. MTBE was even found in the SURFACE WATER of S-4 in 2013.The below detections were reported:
The following monitoring wells AT THE LANDFILL had/have detections for MTBE:
MW-3A     2008-2016
MW-6        2007-2011
MW-6A     2012
MW-18      2012-2016
MW-19s     2014
MW-20S    2014 & 2016
SO-2A       2012-2015
S-4             2013
Some of the same monitoring wells also had/have detections for other gasoline components, such as xylene, benzene, toluene, naphthalene (exceedance in 1999), n-Hexane, & 1,2,4 trimethylbenzene.

Some homes on Hfoote, Eleanor and Berry had/have toluene, naphthalene, MTBE & benzene

Pay to Play in Charlton? You decide..... HERE

July and August 2016 test results have shown the contamination is not only spreading, but some contaminate levels are going up, some as much as 2300%.  Six more homes now have multiple VOC detections. One of those now has an exceedance for TCE, and another has 4.9ug/L TCE (the safe drinking limit is 5ug/L). Another home had PCE detected in the water, the first detection of PCE on the H.Foote rd. PCE is detected at three landfill monitoring wells at higher levels than the home tested. One of the monitoring wells PCE is an exceedance (5.1ug/L).

Letter from Sen Gobi to Mr. Casella HERE