State and local officials have championed the technology as a high-tech solution to chronic bacterial issues. However, as the pilot concluded, and next steps are announced, a significant disparity has emerged between the success described in press releases and a failure to adhere to the protocols promised to state and federal regulators.
A Failure to Follow Accepted Means for Process Validation
The integrity of a scientific pilot relies on process validation. In a May 2025 Kleinfelder memo and subsequent correspondence with MassDEP and the EPA, the town, via Kleinfelder Consulting, committed to specific validation steps. These included the maintenance of a calibration log to be completed before every use and weekly lab validation of bacteria test results for the first month of operation.
Despite these explicit commitments to regulatory agencies, there is no evidence that these requirements were performed. If performed, they were not documented or present in the public record. This is a fundamental failure to follow the validated process required by the EPA and MassDEP to ensure data accuracy. Without these logs and samples, the “success” of the pilot cannot be scientifically verified.
Administrative Silence and State Intervention
The failure to follow an agreed-upon protocol is compounded by a lack of transparency. For months, residents seeking to verify the pilot’s results through the Massachusetts Public Records Law encountered a pattern of administrative silence. When a Lynn resident requested the specific raw data, calibration logs, and training records necessary for an independent evaluation, not a single document was produced. Further clouding the results, much of the oversight was conducted by a non-technical private citizen using private email accounts.
Environmental Reality vs. Clinical Claims
The reluctance to produce data becomes understandable when looking at the fragments that have surfaced. Feedback submitted to the Swampscott Select Board in December 2025 suggests that the UV system’s “success” was more clinical than environmental. While the system neutralized bacteria within a controlled tank, it had a statistically insignificant impact on the beach. Data shows that the Stacey’s Brook outfall continued to fail bacteria standards 75% of the time, even while the system was operational.
Conclusion
Public policy involving taxpayer dollars must be rooted in evidence and adherence to regulatory commitments. By failing to execute the validation steps promised to the EPA and MassDEP, and by shielding public business in private emails, the town has invited skepticism where there should be confidence. Residents of Lynn and Swampscott deserve to see the full picture of a project that, for now, remains an experiment with unverified results.
Sincerely,
Joe Negri
