BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has assessed a penalty of $22,360 against Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) of Dallas, Texas, for violations resulting from an oil release at a residential property in Charlton. 

In August 2013, an unknown quantity of oil was released in the basement of an abandoned home on Southbridge Road in the Town of Charlton, following the theft of copper piping from the heating oil system. In July 2016, FNMA foreclosed on the property and took ownership. In February 2017, a FNMA site investigation detected oil contaminants in groundwater, but failed to notify MassDEP of the release or assess the potential for oil to migrate to nearby drinking water wells. After eventually notifying MassDEP of the groundwater contamination in July 2020, FMNA excavated 376 tons of oil-contaminated soil from the property. Follow-up sampling showed no detections of oil contaminants in groundwater at the site or in nearby drinking water wells. FNMA submitted a closure report in October 2021.

“Under the state cleanup program, property owners must promptly notify MassDEP of oil or hazardous material releases to the environment,” said Mary Jude Pigsley, Director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. “Property owners must take timely action to address the possible impact from any such releases, especially where drinking water wells may be affected.”

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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