Source: http://www.masslive.com, July 9, 2015
By: Dan Glaun
The site of the future MGM Springfield casino is suffering from contamination, according to documents filed with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Nine parcels acquired by Blue Tarp ReDevelopment, MGM Springfield’s property company, are contaminated with reportable levels of hydrocarbons, arsenic or lead, the company told regulators last month. There is no imminent risk to public health, DEP spokeswoman Catherine Skiba said.
“An early analysis of our properties did indicate the presence of some contaminants one would expect to find in urban soil,” said MGM Springfield’s Vice President of Development and Construction Brian Packer in a statement. “Since that time we have followed all appropriate state reporting procedures, and we will continue to do so as we proceed with clean up during the construction phase.”
The pollution predates MGM’s ownership of the property and was self-reported as required by state law, but the company is still responsible for its cleanup, Skiba said.
“Their responsibility as the property owner is to hire a licensed site professional to do the cleanup as necessary,” Skiba said. “So far, they’ve done exactly what they’ve needed to do.”
MGM did not comment on the possible costs or time it will take to clean the sites.
The contaminated sites, now vacant and awaiting construction, make up some of the planned heart of MGM’s casino site. Soil testing on three Howard Street parcels discovered reportable levels of hydrocarbons, including one site that contained lead. The former site of Union Car Wash had contaminated groundwater. And soil near the beaux arts building at 73 State Street, the former headquarters for the United Electric Light Co., was found to contain lead, among other reported locations.
MGM Springfield told the DEP of its findings in filings dated June 17. According to a July 2 letter to the company from the DEP, MGM says the pollution was caused before it bought the properties. That could make the company eligible for the state’s Brownfields program, which provides incentives and limits liability for developers who build on existing contamination sites.
But MGM Springfield will be responsible for the investigation and remediation of affected soil and water, Skiba said, in accordance with DEP regulations.
The company was already aware of the possibility of contamination before recent testing and did not believe it would pose a serious problem, according to the project’s environmental impact study filed in November. The study projected that any remediation could be completed during construction and within existing construction budgets.
“No major impacts to soil or groundwater quality from oil or hazardous materials that may significantly impact construction have been identified or are anticipated, based on due diligence activities performed to date,” the study said.
A neighboring property owner voiced stronger concerns in a response included in the environmental impact study. The Colvest Group, which owns land immediately southwest of the casino site, hired the land planning company Beals Associates to study possible harms to its holdings.
“Procedures for removal of Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and oil-contaminated soils should be presented in greater detail as the proposed project site is littered with them,” Beals Associates wrote in its report.