Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed 150 Blackstone River Road, LLC, of Boston with a $65,571 penalty to settle waste site cleanup violations identified at the company’s warehouse and freight distribution center in Worcester.

The company is required to address oil contamination in soil and groundwater at the site, which abuts the Blackstone River. MassDEP reviewed the cleanup activity that has occurred at the site in recent years and found the company had failed to comply with requirements of a deed restriction, did not take adequate cleanup actions to address oil spills at the site, and failed to meet deadlines to submit required documents to MassDEP. Under the terms of a consent order, the company must pay the full penalty and continue cleanup of the property.

A Notice of Activity and Use Limitation deed restriction was placed on the property in 1996 that required a plan to manage contaminated soil and a worker health and safety plan if construction work occurred at the property. New oil releases in 2010 and 2013 required soil excavation, oil recovery, and groundwater monitoring, but the company failed to do this work. In 2016, the company undertook construction activities without the required soil management and health and safety plans and without cleaning up the soil contamination. The consent order requires the company to complete an assessment of the site and develop and implement a plan to recover the oil.

“Under the privatized state cleanup program, MassDEP audits cleanup activities to determine whether property owners have addressed releases of oil or hazardous material in accordance with the regulations, including any deed restrictions to protect public health,” said Mary Jude Pigsley, Director of MassDEP’s Central Region Office in Worcester. “The company’s failure to follow MassDEP’s regulations could have exposed construction workers to contamination and has delayed cleanup of the property.”

MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth, provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives, and ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities served by the agency.

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