SAUGUS — WIN Waste Innovations went before the Conservation Commission to continue a meeting regarding permitting for a dredging project.
On April 30, WIN Waste filed a notice of intent (NOI) with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for a dredging project.
The dredging project, a process in which sediment leading to the water intake system at the facility is removed, is performed every eight to 10 years.
The intake system takes water from the Saugus River to utilize in the generation of electricity, eventually discharging the water back into the river, under strict temperature-regulation guidelines.
The permitting process, which typically takes around a year, is well under way. Approval from MassDEP is the next step in the process following approval from the Conservation Commission.
During the meeting, Commission member Andy DeSantis asked several questions relating to the project.
DeSantis first asked about the frequency of the dredging, saying that the NOI stated dredging had occurred previously in the winter of 2015-16 and in 2001.
Secondly, DeSantis asked if more frequent dredging is required, noting the gaps in previous dredging processes.
“The reason why it needs to be re-dredged is just from the sedimentation coming in from the natural flow of the water, it’s not from the facility,” Caroline Santangelo, an environmental scientist with Stantec, said.
Additionally, DeSantis inquired about the transportation of the dredging discharge, to which WIN Waste Innovations Environmental Compliance Manager Joseph Brady said that there are two ways for the discharge to be moved.
One option, Brady said, is to pump it directly to the monofill, which he said is called hydraulic dredging.
Brady said that this option would most likely be implemented, but WIN is seeking permitting for an additional option as well, as a contractor has not yet been secured. He said the contractor would fall in line with what is approved.
The commission made a motion, which passed unanimously, to issue an order of conditions as proposed by Conservation Officer Francis G. McKinnon to ensure that guidelines set by the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act are adhered to before the start of the dredging process.
