2 days ago
Lawmakers decry FirstLight dam's 300-gallon oil spill into Conn. River
TURNERS FALLS — FirstLight's Turners Falls hydroelectric operations leaked 300 gallons of hydraulic fluid into the Connecticut River on Tuesday evening, according to a statement from state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield.
Comerford was notified of the spill by Firstlight, according to Comerford's spokesperson.
This is the fourth spill lawmakers know of since 2021 at Firstlight hydroelectric facilities and comes as the company seeks relicensing from the federal government.
'We also urge Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to hold FirstLight accountable by reviewing prior infractions and taking the steps necessary to ensure compliance with environmental requirements and to deter future violations,' Comerford and Blais said in a joint statement.
FirstLight's team told Comerford they are actively investigating the problem, and that the company is on track this summer to undertake an overhaul of the bascule gate system that caused the leaks. Bascule gates regulate water flow through a dam using a drawbridge-like system, lowering a gate to open the flow and raising it to close.
In a statement, FirstLight said there was a sudden failure in the hydraulic system that supports the pistons below one of its four water gates. Three other gates have been inspected and are working as intended.
Firstlight said its system has been stabilized, and there are no indications of an ongoing release of hydraulic fluid.
FirstLight's team is deploying absorbent booms in areas where an oil sheen is visible in the water and will actively monitor the area until the problem is fully resolved.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection already has issued a 401 Water Quality Certificate as part of FirstLight's federal relicensing process.
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