Southbridge landfill to pay $200,000 civil penalty
The Southbridge Recycling and Disposal Park (SRDP) landfill will pay nearly $220,000 to settle claims a large soil stockpile partially collapsed and damaged adjacent wetlands.
Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office said that SRDP and its parent company, Casella Waste Systems Inc., will pay a $200,000 civil penalty, $50,000 of which will be waived if the state Department of Environmental Protections determines that required stabilization and restoration work are properly completed.
SRDP will also spend nearly $20,000 on a supplemental environmental project by purchasing water testing and plotting equipment for Charlton, to be used by the town’s Water Department and Conservation Commission, as well as by the Central Massachusetts Regional Storm Water Coalition.
The August 2013 landslide sent up to a foot of sediment to the banks a stream in Charlton and covered half an acre of vegetated wetlands with mud and silt, the AG’s office said.
According to the complaint, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, the stockpiled soil had been excavated during landfill expansion work. The statement from the AG’s office said SRDP “allegedly did not immediately take action to stabilize the stockpile, waited for 10 days to report erosion and stability problems, and failed to mention the massive landslide when discussing other matters with MassDEP.”
After reporting the violations to MassDEP, the defendants began implementing stockpile stabilization and wetlands restoration work plans, and will continue to monitor the wetlands areas damaged by the landslide to assure proper restoration, the statement said.
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