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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJames Foster - 12/20/1972/ f �e: J 1 C\; c ti l�,r c> Water Pollution (//ont!?©l o o' Department of Natural Re ources Commonwealth of Nassach ,etts 100 Cambridge Street e Boston, Y assachusetts 62202 Gentlemen, JANej ,J73� 26 Draper Avenue YansfieLld, ivass. 02048 December 20, 1972 I wish to bring, to your attention a particularly simple problem of stream pollution which has defied either detection and action or simply action for a number of years. Recently the volume of contaminant became sufficient to enable its source to be traced fairly directly by three concerned citizens of lYansfield. They were interested in the condition of the Rumford River. Attached is an account of their efforts. After reading it I believe ,you will be able to select a course of action, have it investigated, and with any luck perhaps the company doing the damage can find a better solution to their disposal problem. Please let me know if you plan to do anything about the matter. If I can help in gathering samples or providing further evidence, please let me know. Sincerely, James P. Poster A timber treatment company located on County Street in B`ansfield, Lass. is periodically discharging large volumes of of something like fusil oil into the Rumford River. Estimated at at least ten gallons a minute on December 2, 19727 the material has a strong kerosene or fuel oil smell. Following is an account of how the source was traced. On Saturday December 2, 1972, a neighbor whose n-roperty runs close to the river, called my attention to a strong kerosene - like smell and oily appearance of the river at the point where it enters a large dian•eter aqueduot which carrie %,oencath loute 106. Together we called on 41r. Dennis Hannon, Mansfield Town Lanager, wath htr.lf�nH�n's iie.lpp wc� who accompanied us to view the river.n Tho three hours in a thorough search of the river, carefully investi- gating its tributaries and banks between the aquaduct and the Mans- field Bleachery upstream. we found the Robinson Brook, a principal tributary was clean. Just a little upstream from the point where it enters the Rumford River, the river's banks evidenced heavy exposure to the oil which was flowing on the since. `„'ith consider- able difficulty from undergrowth, we continued�upstrea.m along the south bank. Scratched and with our clothes damaged by a heavy growth of briar, we finally located the point where the oil was entering the river. This is immediately south of the bridge which carries the Penn Central freight line from Yansfie d to Foxboro and points west. Yr. Hannon discovered the rail beds d� t I s bridge was saturated with oil. He then located tyro large below -ground tanks containing oil with the same characteristics and small as that in the river. These tanks are part of a timber treatment plant on County Street in P:iansfield. It is readily apparent that the oil is frequently discharged from this plant directly onto the Penn Central rail bed. It then flows between the ties to a p; = basin on the opposite side of the railroad (south side). The earth catclmnent basin has been Provided �,J_th a the drain pipe which conducts the oil toward the river. q ,year avo I saw the basin full, probably due to clogging B prldebris, 21 My assumption at the time was that perhaps some boys had opened the sampling valve on a tank car. This source of pollution should be of particular interest to the Selectmen of the Town of Norton which is dow,nstream from Mansfield. Ducks have frequently been found dead or struggl&ng in oily water at Fulton's Pond, a half mile or so downstream from where the recent search began. The Massachusetts Audubon Society and D::ansfield Conservation Committee should be interested in its effect on the environment. Firm measures may be called for to end this wanton fouling of an attractive river and the ponds it flows through. Norton Reservoir already has problems which are probably compounded by this situation. James P. Foster 26 Draper Avenue rr.,„,. P; _,'I a Tr"- noon A