As part of the rebuilding of Route 66 a few months ago Ludlow Construction broke the leachate force main (pipe) where it crosses Westhampton Road going from Glendale Road to West Farms Road.
According to an April 23 letter from city engineer Mr. James R. Laurila to Mr. Daniel Hall, Section Chief Solid Waste Management Division of the DEP, a letter Redoubt acquired from the DPW, prior to excavation the DPW marked out the approximate location of the 4-inch PVC leachate force-main based on a construction Record Drawing by Dufresne-Henry, Inc. (today known as Stantec). The drawing provided an approximate depth of 7.5 feet. At 11:20 AM on April 14 Ludlow Construction hit the crown of the force-main at a depth of approximately 5.5 feet and the pipe fractured. On site DPW personnel notified landfill personnel who shut off the main electrical breakers at the leachate pump station within three minutes of the notification according to the letter. The letter further stated that neither leachate pump was running at the time of the incident. The DPW estimated that approximately 100-125 gallons of leachate were released and contained within the trench, percolating into the native soils according to the letter. It is unclear how the number of gallons estimated to have leaked was determined. The break was repaired with 4-inch ductile iron pipe and Hymax, 250 PSI rated couplings and was completed at 1:00 PM.
Upon notification the Department of Environmental Protection requested that soil samples be taken at the break location and that a sample be taken from the leachate wet well at the landfill and tested. The DEP also requested that the DPW submit a Sanitary Sewer Overflow Release form. Boston based Fuss & O’Neill was at the landfill sampling groundwater and agreed to take the samples requested by the DEP, which were submitted to a DEP certified laboratory for analysis. The results are in and available of the offices of the DPW at 125 Locust Street in Florence.
