Saugus, Mass., Wheelabrator Could Face Fines for Alleged Noise Violations

The Saugus, Mass., Board of Health has sent a notice outlining state and local noise regulations that the waste-to-energy (WTE) facility has allegedly violated.

Now, if representatives from Wheelabrator do not attend a meeting to explain and defend why they are not in violation of the law, the WTE facility could face fines of up to $25,000 per violation, which could end up in the range of $600,000 for the alleged violations, according to The Daily Item.

The report notes that last month, a steam turbine at the plant was taken out of use for repairs. Although a silencer was used to mitigate the sound of the escaping steam, “neighbors compared the noise to a plane constantly flying overhead. After 10 days, the plant shut down operations for three days until an enhanced silencer could be installed,” the report states.

The Daily Item goes on to say that a Wheelabrator spokesperson declined to comment on whether a representative from the company would attend the meeting since the letter from the Board of Health had not yet been received.

The Daily Item has more:

Wheelabrator Saugus could face fines of up to $600,000 for alleged noise regulation violations.

The Saugus Board of Health sent a show-cause notice to Wheelabrator that outlines state and local noise regulations the company has allegedly violated and requests an explanation.

Last month, a steam turbine at the plant was taken out of use for repairs and steam that would normally power the turbine to create energy was instead being released directly into the air. A silencer was being used to mitigate the sound of the escaping steam, but neighbors compared the noise to a plane constantly flying overhead. After 10 days, the plant shut down operations for three days until an enhanced silencer could be installed.

Read the full article here.