Click here to access Mass DEP's list of searchable waste sites in Massachusetts
Click here for Timeline
Click here for the report titled "Environmental Impacts from Largest MTBE Release in History" which describes a March 13, 2000 sampling of 5,980 ug/L of MTBE and 74.5 ug/L of benzene. On 6-17-04 at the Boutwell Garage, there was a reading of 650 ug/L of MTBE in monitoring well #15 and 16,600 ug/L of MTBE in monitoring well #16; over 225x the Massachusetts drinking water standard. The Boutwells Garage site showed influent MTBE readings which EXCEED the 700 levels, over ten times the allowable limit.
DEP website reports new release on 6-15-07,
site #2-0016724, site name: Boutwell Residence,
73 Fitchburg Road, Ashburnham, MA
MTBE IN DRINKING WATER (Click here for Timeline)
Mrs. Adams lives with her family on Fitchburg Road in Ashburnham. In January 2003 she learned that her drinking water well had been contaminated by the gasoline additive MtBE (Methyl tertiary butyl ether), a suspected carcinogen. After researching at the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) office in Worcester, MA , Mrs. Adams was shocked to find information indicating a release dating back to 1989!A DEP RTN (Release Tracking Number) # 2-0014629 was assigned on 1-16-03 for the Hazardous Material Release at Adams, 57 Fitchburg Road, and a notice of responsibility to Boutwell's Garage, 73 Fitchburg Road, Ashburnham, MA 01430.
According to the 1-16-90 report by Hidell-Eyster Technical Services, Inc., project #05-89149: Contaminated sediments were detected around and beneath the three 35 year old 2,000 gallon underground gasoline storage tanks removed on 11-27-89. Several sediment samples were screened for the presence of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and levels ranging from none detected to a maximum of 280 PPM (parts per million) were obtained.
3-19-90 site assessment.
NOR (Notice of Responsibility) 8-5-98, Persons Assuming Responsibility for IRA (Immediate Response Action):
Mr. Richard Boutwell, Owner Boutwell's Garage 73 Fitchburg Road Ashburnham, MA 01430
Mr. Timothy Peterson, Operations Manager Peterborough Oil Company, Inc. 665 N. Main Street P.O. Box 787 Leominster, MA 01453 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |According to MA Drinking Water Guidelines, the MA guideline for MTBE is 70 PPB (parts per billion, or 0.07mg/L)
According to the ground water test done by Ducharme & Wheeler for Boutwell's Garage on 6-17-04, results showed positive for MTBE at 16,600 PPB, over 200X the 70 PPB guideline!
The MTBE levels continue to rise, and another family was notified in January 2005 of an MTBE release in their drinking water well. Yet another family has been notified of MTBEs in their drinking water over 2x the MA legal limit. Click here to see the 12K PDF charts of several properties measured from 1988 to 2004. Click here to read a letter dated 2-7-05 sent to Ashburnham Selectman Ron Reed by Mrs. Adams, which was sent out numerous times, but was never responded to.
Click on the links below to read the newspaper articles:
February
25, 2005 -
"How can
you allow people to drink gasoline?" argued Wayne Adams. ...Asking
if they had sought legal council, Dennehy suggested that the Adams had
reached "a dead end" with the board, which, as he understood
had no authority to enforce action.
February 23, 2005 - "Are
you a defendant of Boutwell's?" Wayne Adams asked. "Are
you defending them, or are you defending the people down on Route 12?
...The Adams pressed the selectmen to issue an enforcement order against
the Boutwells, finding them in violation of town bylaws that ban the
poisoning of neighbors' wells. ...They also urged them to order the
Boutwells to use the Massachusetts Underground Storage Tank Petroleum
Product Cleanup Fund established by Massachusetts General Law 21J....Wayne
Adams said the neighbors should not be responsible for the expense of
a lawyer. He termed the use of any revenue source other than the Boutwells
- particulary taxpayer money - a form of "fraud."
February 23, 2005 - "I've been before every single board with this," said Terri Adams.
December 17, 2004 - Wayne Adams came before the board to discuss the option of developing his property at 57 Fitchburg Road for the sole purpose of financing the extension of the town water line to those properties affected by the MTBE release anecdotally attibuted to the former Boutwell's Garage.
December 10, 2004 - With the three weeks having come and gone as of Monday, Dec 6, Nunez informed the Adams that a meeting had not yet been scheduled and that when it was, it would not be a public meeting.
December 10, 2004 - Resident Wayne Adams discussed his idea about developing a portion of his land into a subdividion and donating the profit to the town to fund the installation of a water line along Route 12. MacMillan said the board could not make a deal like that with Adams..."
November 26, 2004 - "These are astronomical readings - it's unheard of," said Sandman. "I want to stress to you...and issue a word of warning, this kind of problem can get out of hand very quickly. These are scary readings."
August 7, 2004 - Boutwell's Garage closing.
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