Public Not Adequately Informed On Elm Street Environmental Issues

(Acronym corrected for MEPA; link to environmental assessment provided.)

Concerns about water and environmental impacts on the Elm Street site for the proposed grade 4-5 school have been regularly dismissed by Dale Street School Building Committee (SBC) members and other town officials.

However, statutes that govern the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) grantmaking process specifically mandate that environmental assessments be shared with the public for review, and that the public be provided a "reasonable opportunity for public comment thereon" with a summary of public comments submitted to MSBA prior to the Project Scope and Budget Conference.

For Medfield, that Conference took place on Sept. 27, 2021, yet despite having an environmental assessment report on the Elm Street site in hand for more than a year, the results of the assessment were never reviewed and discussed with the public at a forum or Dale SBC meeting, nor was the report distributed electronically for public comment. At the time of this writing, the assessment was not visible on the school project website.

When asked about the MSBA Sept. 27 proceedings, conference attendee and Town Administrator Kristine Treirweiler stated via e-mail,"I am unaware of any document regarding public comment on environmental assessments that was reviewed at this meeting; no public comments were referenced..."

Based on the environmental assessment by PEER Consultants hired by Dale SBC, recommended actions included:

• Studies of oil and hazardous substances in soil and groundwater due to a historic oil spill.
• A ground-penetrating radar survey related to a possible buried (oil) storage tank.
• Investigation of possible groundwater monitoring wells.

"Should 17 Elm Street be the location for any proposed redevelopment/new (school) construction which may disturb the soil and/or groundwater...additional investigations to evaluate the potential for buried anomalies, and detect hazardous substances may be warranted..." according to the 992-page PEER report.

Since that time, much attention and concern has been expressed about the potential impact of the proposed school project on town water, wells, the aquifer and overall Elm Street property (including adjacent path with trees and growth), yet no time has been dedicated to an in-depth, public discussion about all of the potential environmental issues.

Important considerations:

-Although much of the Town lies in the Charles River Watershed, eastern Medfield lies in the Neponset River Watershed. The principal stream in this watershed is Mill Brook, which becomes Mine Brook which runs along the Elm Street property. According to the 2002 Medfield Open Space & Recreation Report, "The brook and its underlying aquifer are of critical importance to the Town as a municipal water source." At the time the report was written in 2002, it was stated that three of the Town's five wells in the Mine Brook aquifer were supplying half of the town's water. (Well production has shifted elsewhere since the report was published, however, the new water treatment plan, well refurbishment work, and PFAS findings, could once again put greater reliance on Elm Street wells for drinking water.)

-The Elm Street site is located in a MA DEP-approved Zone II, which extends into Walpole. As such, Medfield is responsible for outreach to the neighboring town under "The Best Effort Requirement 310 CMR 22.21(1)" which mandates a coordinated effort to protect vitally important groundwater resources shared by communities.

-Prohibited under the "Best Effort" regulations: "Land uses that result in the rendering impervious any lot or parcel more than 15% or 2,500 square feet, whichever is greater, unless a system for artificial recharge of precipitation is provided that will not result in the degradation of groundwater quality." Recent attempts to obtain updated information from Dale SBC about the increase in impervious surface at the proposed Elm Street school site have not been answered. A representative from Neponset River Watershed Association expressed concern about the increase in impervious surface associated with the Elm Street project and believed the current Dale Street site was preferable for that reason. The NepRWA e-mail was verified by the Warrant Committee.

-A study conducted by Medfield Environment Action estimated that nearly 44 percent of overall emissions in the town comes from vehicles, including passenger, commercial and municipal. Traffic studies conducted by Dale SBC engineering consultants have predicted a significant increase in traffic on Elm Street alone resulting from a second school. According comments from Andrew Stone of American Groundwater Trust at a virtual Dale at Dale forum, air pollution and water quality are interrelated. Scientific studies reinforce this view.

-Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) is currently in the process of rolling out "Public Involvement Protocol" that must identify "environmental justice (EJ) populations within 1 mile of a project site" and "if the project is anticipated to affect air quality, the ENF/EENF (environmental notification forms) shall identify EJ populations within 5 miles of the project site and describe whether the project is reasonably likely to negatively affect such EJ populations. Two EJ populations in Norwood are located approximately 2.75 miles from the proposed Elm Street school project site. A legal brief helps to describe the new MEPA action.

-Closed-loop geothermal wells are planned for the proposed school site, however, placement in well protection and aquifer protection areas has not been adequately studied by scientists according to some reports. Preliminary studies show that changes in groundwater temperatures resulting from such a project may have adverse effects on the overall ecosystem. Some industry professionals fear extensive borings may also introduce contaminants more easily into groundwater.

A Related Note About Elm Street & Outdoor Classrooms

According to the 1969 Town Annual Report, the Wheelwright family donated about four acres of land immediately to the west of Wheelock School for conservation purposes, and the property is now under Conservation Commission management. According to annual report, "Plans are being developed to use this area as an outdoor classroom for the study of nature and conservation."

A year later, the 1970 Town Annual Report noted, "A detailed plan for the Outdoor Classrooms has been obtained from U.S. Soil Conservation Division of the Department of Agriculture" and that a community effort was underway to implement the project.

At the Sept. 29, 2021 Warrant Committee meeting, one Medfield alumnae and current Dale Street teacher remembered the outdoor classroom area when she was a Wheelock student in the 1990s. Based on a recent conversation with Wheelock Principal Holli Caulfield, use of the Outdoor Classroom seems to have stopped years ago since she didn't realize it existed alongside the school.

A new Medfield Public Records Facebook page has been created to share important town documents received as part of citizen reporting efforts. The link to the Environmental Assessment can also be found there.

The author is with Keep Dale@Dale Coalition.