EPA orders monitoring of dust from cemetery-expansion work:

EPA orders monitoring of dust from cemetery-expansion work:

[City Edition]
KEVIN ROTHSTEIN. The Patriot Ledger. = ;Quincy, Mass.:Nov 23, 1999. p. 17c

Abstract (Summary)

BRAINTREE -- The federal Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a company
expanding the Blue Hills Cemetery to monitor the dust rising from its rock-
crushing operation.

If the testing reveals that the operations of S.M. Lorusso & Sons of Walpole
are sending too much dust into the air, the company will have to reduce
emissions, an attorney for the EPA said.

The EPA checked on the cemetery operation earlier this year after receiving= a
complant from a resident. Some of the cemetery's neighbors have complained<= br> about the blasting and dust they say sometimes coats the outside of their h= omes
and their yards, said John Hardiman, president of the Granite Park Civic
Association.

Full Text (551 words)

Copyright Patriot Ledger Nov 23, 1999

BRAINTREE -- The federal Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a company
expanding the Blue Hills Cemetery to monitor the dust rising from its rock-
crushing operation.

If the testing reveals that the operations of S.M. Lorusso & Sons of Walpole
are sending too much dust into the air, the company will have to reduce
emissions, an attorney for the EPA said.

"If they are emitting too much, then they have to control that," = EPA attorney
Tom Olivier said.

Lorusso is a contractor hired by cemetery owner Gerald Ridge to help expand the
cemetery by about 30 acres.

Lorusso has until April 15 to complete the testing. The EPA will evaluate t= he
test results to determine whether the company's rock- crushing operation me= ets
environmental standards.

In a statement, John P. DeVillars, the EPA's administrator for the New England
region, said: "The testing that we're requiring will give us a better handle on
the extent of the problem there and what steps need to be taken. Neighbors<= br> living near the cemetery site have been complaining for months of dust and<= br> other problems from this operation."

The EPA checked on the cemetery operation earlier this year after receiving= a
complant from a resident. Some of the cemetery's neighbors have complained<= br> about the blasting and dust they say sometimes coats the outside of their h= omes
and their yards, said John Hardiman, president of the Granite Park Civic
Association.

"We've had dust clouds move through the neighborhood," he said.
Neighbors think that the cemetery should be doing more to control the effec= ts
of blasting and rock crushing, such as wetting down the area to minimize th= e
dust problem, Hardiman said.

Residents also are concerned about the health effects of living with the du= st,
he said.

"In addition to the nuisance and the property damage that is being cau= sed by
this blasting, we feel there is a potential it is causing a potential healt= h
hazard to neighbors," he said.

Neither the cemetery nor Lorusso & Sons could be reached for comment.
Under the EPA order, Lorrusso has a month to hire a certified inspector who= can
observe the dust cloud rising from the rock- crushing operation, EPA offici= als
said.

The inspector will measure by determining how much background the cloud
obscures, EPA engineer Rebecca Fishman said. The EPA said Lorusso violated<= br> federal performance standards by not having such a visual inspection done w= hen
it

started work six or seven years ago.

The company has until next month to develop a plan for conducting emissions=
testing, the agency said.

The cemetery expansion is the subject of a pending lawsuit in Norfolk Super= ior
Court. A court date for the suit has not been set, Hardiman said.

Last year, a judge declined to grant an emergency injunction that would hav= e
halted the cemetery work.

Hardiman said he hoped to appear soon before the board of selectmen to ask = for
help pushing the lawsuit forward. He said he fears that the cemetery expans= ion
will be completed by the time the suit is heard.

"If they stretch it out long enough, the quarry is all done," Hardiman said.

Earlier this year, residents were alarmed when rocks, apparently from the blasting site, peppered the area. At the time, an attorney for the cemetery=
owner said it was an isolated incident.

Credit: The Patriot Ledger

Indexing (document details)

People: Hardiman, John

Author(s): KEVIN ROTHSTEIN

Section: News

Publication title: The Patriot Ledger. Quincy, Mass.: Nov 23, 1999. = pg. 17.c

Source type: Newspaper

ProQuest document 46980300
ID:

Text Word Count 551

Document URL: http://proquest.umi.co= m/
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