In a letter to Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, MassDEP wrote that, while the plan to remove all contaminated soil from both the Housatonic riverfront and from the area for an affordable housing development is “protective of human health and the environment,” the relocation of that soil to other parts of the site may be harmful.
While Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDC) has presented its plan for 45 units of affordable housing to several boards, the Zoning Board of Appeals is the one that has to decide whether to issue CDC its comprehensive permit.
According to the Federal Register, EPA scientists have stated that toxic landfill liners are no guarantee and that landfill pollutants can “migrate into the broader environment. Eventually liners will either degrade, tear, or crack and will allow liquids to migrate out of the unit.” GE wants three more PCB landfills in the Berkshires. But the EPA insists on out-of-state disposal in an approved PCB facility. The matter will likely be settled in court.
“From a practical standpoint, and from a health and safety standpoint, if we cap rather than bioremediate, there is virtually no impact on development schedule. This project has an incredible benefit for the entire community and entire region.”
— Tim Geller, executive director, Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire
Eva V. Tor, MassDEP’s Deputy Regional Director of the Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup, said that all the data reviewed by her agency thus far is insufficient for the cleanup to continue on the brownfield site… particularly given the proximity of the site to sensitive populations and current uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of this remediation method.
“We never anticipated that the site’s cleanup would be concurrent with the heaviest rainfall in 227 years.”
— Chris Young, Biotech Restorations CEO
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