Wheelabrator receives permit to transport and relocate ash

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) approved a landfill permit application from Wheelabrator Technologies, headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a report by Wicked Local says. The permit allows ash from the Saugus energy-from-waste (EFW) facility to be shipped off-site and make changes to the landfill’s site-grading plan.

A minor permit modification allows Wheelabrator to transport the ash residue stored at its adjacent landfill to off-site ash management facilities. The side-grading plan entails altering the slop to two internal valleys of the landfill to allow for continued use, the report says.

James Connolly, Wheelabrator’s vice president of environmental health and safety, says the application was submitted to start the site-grading project before the landfill reached capacity.

The ash generated at the EFW facility would be staged for a maximum of 15 days at the landfill before being transported off-site, the report says. The ash will be loaded into vehicles and brought to alternative landfills, such as the company’s locations in Shrewsbury and Putnam, Connecticut. The staging area will take up 2 acres of the Saugus landfill and will not be place in capped areas or areas that have direct runoff to the perimeter stormwater management system.

The EFW facility produces 360 tons of ash per day, which Wheelabrator says will calculate out to 13 truckloads per day transported to off-site locations. Including return trips, the company says it should expect 26 truck trips per day.

The Saugus Board of Selectmen approved a letter Sept. 27 that requested a minor modification for the transport. The letter requested only state highways be used in the transport of ash, the report says.

The decision is valid for the time period it takes for the landfill to reach its capacity or for 10 years, whichever comes first. According to the report, the permit requires Wheelabrator to notify MassDEP and the Board of Health in writing seven days in advance of when ash staging activities begin and 14 days in advance when Wheelabrator begins it relocation project, along with other conditions.