Massachusetts Concrete Company Settles DEP Charges

A Lowell, Mass., concrete company has agreed to pay a fine for discharging hazardous material into the Merrimack River, although the owner continues to dispute the charges made by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), according to a report in the Lowell Sun (Lowell, Mass.).

The DEP has charged the J.G. MacLellan Concrete Co. with washing concrete residue from trucks into a storm drain, which emptied into a stream that feeds the river, according to the report.

However, the company president, John MacLellan, says the DEP took a water sample from near the drain, which offered no evidence that any contaminants were discharged. He also asserts that the company has a recycling system for its wastewater and has had no prior environmental problems in 40 years of operation in Lowell, Mass., according to the report.

However, the company has agreed to settle and pay the fine of $33,625 to avoid going to court.