Still reeling from #PFAS spill, #BrunswickMaine residents push back on plans for #sludge treatment plant
by AnnMarie Hilton, Tue, January 28, 2025
"Brunswick resident Sandra Carslick said she and her neighbors have been living in a 'bad dream' for the five months since 1,600 gallons of toxic foam spilled so-called forever chemicals at the already contaminated former Naval Air Station nearby.
"At a Brunswick Town Council meeting on Monday night, Carslick said that bad dream could soon become residents’ 'worst nightmare,' if the town reopens a processing site for chemical-laden [#Biosolids] sludge from sewer treatment plants across Maine, and potentially beyond.
"The residents were responding to plans from Delaware-based #ViridiEnergy to update and expand #BrunswickLanding’s anaerobic digester, which converts sewage sludge — also referred to as #biosolids — into renewable natural gas and byproducts that get sent to landfills.
"During Monday’s presentation to the town council, company representatives explained how the facility would work and what local residents could expect. Several councilors said they would like to see additional data before deciding, but some already expressed concerns that the project isn’t right for Brunswick, particularly at this time. Members of the public also spoke for more than an hour, overwhelmingly concerned about the project and its potential to bring more #HarmfulChemicals into the area.
"The town is still dealing with the accidental discharge last summer of #firefighting foam containing #perfluoroalkyl and #polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as #PFAS, at a hangar at #BrunswickExecutiveAirport, which is also situated at Brunswick Landing.
"The spill has prompted environmental and public health concerns over the PFAS, which have been linked to serious long-term health problems including #cancer, weakened #immune systems, developmental issues, and more. Since it started surveying and reviewing the material in the late 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [#EPA] has found more than 700 chemicals in sewage sludge, including PFAS.
"Chet Benham, a senior advisor and one of the founders of Viridi, tried to address those concerns during the meeting, telling residents the facility will operate according to all state and local requirements. He said there are protocols to prevent spills of the sludge that will move through the closed-loop facility.
"'We feel really, really good about it,' Benham said. 'We wouldn’t be standing here before you if we didn’t.' [Typical #Greenwashing #Bullshit]
"According to Viridi’s plan, the facility would take in about 85,000 tons of biosolids per year, which would be processed into renewable natural gas that would feed into Maine Natural Gas. About 10,000 tons of solid material byproduct would be sent from the plant to the #JuniperRidgeLandfill in Old Town. Over the course of the discussion, it came to light that Viridi would also likely bring in sludge from outside of Maine in order to run their facility at full capacity."
Read more:
https://news.yahoo.com/news/still-reeling-pfas-spill-brunswick-145952948.html
#WaterIsLife #PenobscotRiver #PenobscotNation #AndroscogginRiver #CascoBay
This is #PicnicPond in #BrunswickMaine. It is closed to the public because of #PFAS contamination, but there is plenty of #Wildlife in the area, and the pond empties into #HarpswellCove / #CascoBay.
Image source and more info about Picnic Pond:
https://maineanencyclopedia.com/brunswick-landing/
#Stormwater #Environment #PFASPollution #BrunswickLanding #BrunswickNavalAirStation #CascoBay #PollutionRunoff #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #WebOfLife #Superfund #PFOS
'Foam is being blown by the wind here, there, and everywhere': #BrunswickMaine #PFAS clean-up continues
Within a mile of the #BrunswickLanding are three bodies of water that make up the local storm water systems, which the DEP said have likely been contaminated.
Author: Pearl Small
Published: 9:44 PM EDT August 21, 2024
BRUNSWICK, Maine — "Three days after an accidental spill of more than 1,000 gallons of foam containing PFAS at the Brunswick Executive Airport, foam was still seen flying through the air on Wednesday as crews including #CleanHarbors and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection attempted to clean it up.
"'Foam on these ponds is being blown by the wind here, there, and everywhere,' Suzanne Johnson, who sits on Brunswick's #restoration advisory board, said. Johnson said this situation was one of her worst fears for the town. Although the DEP has said they have reason to believe the spill will not affect the town's drinking water, there are other #environmental concerns at stake.
"'This stuff is a forever chemical. It doesn't go away. So, the foam dissolves, but the chemical is still there,' Johnson said. Within a mile of the Brunswick Landing are three bodies of water that make up the local storm water systems, which the DEP said have likely been contaminated with the foam. Those three sources are natural ponds filled with #fish and plant life.
"'Open water body sources was the #StormWater system for this property. This chemical spewed directly into those open bodies of water,' Johnson said. The path takes the foam directly into two ponds that lead to a source called #PicnicPond, which eventually connects to #HarpswellCove.
"'I believe the areas connected to the discharge are already closed,' [but still teeming with #wildlife] Melanie Loyzim, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, said at a press conference on Wednesday. The ponds are mostly unreachable by people because they've already been listed as #superfund sites and blocked off by the town due to past PFAS contamination. Loyzim said those levels will likely increase now. 'What we focus on is reducing exposure and preventing people from being exposed,' Loyzim said. [But who cares about wildlife or #CascoBay?!]
#PFASPollution #WaterIsLife
#OceansAreLife #PollutionRunoff #WebOfLife #PFOA
DoomsdaysCW