The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) recently announced a $40,000 penalty to the Beaver Brook Wastewater Treatment Facility of Mansfield, which operates a treatment facility associated with multi-use commercial properties at The Point in Littleton, for allegedly violating groundwater discharge regulations.
MassDEP stated that the company failed to report that, since 2016, it routinely bypassed flows to the onsite wastewater treatment facility by pumping and hauling more than 2.5 million gallons of waste to an offsite permitted wastewater treatment facility. The company also failed to disclose to MassDEP that the plant faced operational issues with its ability to effectively treat the wastewater to permit limits.
Under a consent order, the company must now continue manage flows to the wastewater treatment facility as well as upgrade the plant, improve management of external grease traps, establish and maintain a financial assurance mechanism to ensure funding for upgrading the facility, and pay the $40,000 penalty.
“Honest and complete reporting of flows and treatment operational issues to MassDEP is essential to maintain the integrity of the self-reporting aspects of the program and ensure the protection of water resources,” said Mary Jude Pigsley, Director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. “It is important to fulfill the requirements of the permit conditions and compliance with the regulations for the benefit of public welfare and the environment.”
