WESTFIELD — For months, signs reading “NO Lithium Battery Storage Over Our Aquifer” have been popping up in front yards throughout Westfield. Recently, concerns have been stirring in surrounding towns as well, marked by a proliferation of those signs throughout Southampton, Easthampton and beyond.

Murmurings about the lithium battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed for Medeiros Way in the northeast section of Westfield — not far from Barnes Air National Guard Base — have been reaching a fever pitch as a state siting board meeting for the project approaches. The potential for aquifer contamination and long-lasting battery fires releasing harmful toxins into the air have created strong resistance to the project from area residents and politicians alike.

The proposed location is above the aquifer where Westfield, Southampton, Easthampton and Holyoke draw their drinking water. The aquifer is already contaminated with so-called “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, which seeped into the water decades ago from firefighting foam used at Barnes.

Jupiter Power, the Texas company pushing the project, contends that risks are negligible and community concerns have resulted in special safeguards. But these assurances have not been successful in quelling rampant unease.

“Nobody in their right mind would say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a good thing to put on an aquifer,’ ” said Dan Allie, at-large councilor on the Westfield City Council.

The project, called Streamfield Energy Storage, will be a 200-megawatt, utility-scale battery energy storage site connecting to Eversource’s existing Buck Pond substation on Medeiros Way. It will be constructed across two parcels of land west of Route 202 in Westfield. Jupiter Power plans to begin construction in 2026 and have the storage site in service by 2027. The company states that the facility will lead to improved reliability and efficiency in the regional power grid without increasing electric bills.

A state clean energy bill passed last year streamlined the process for permitting these projects as a way to meet climate goals. However, this means municipalities get little say in where they get constructed. Developers looking to construct large BESS facilities must acquire a comprehensive exemption from local zoning bylaws from the state Department of Public Utilities. Subsequently, developers may petition the Energy Facilities Siting Board for a certificate of environmental impact and public interest. This essentially overrides local non-zoning permitting requirements.

BESS facilities allow excess energy produced by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be stored and sent back into the electric grid during peak hours of energy use. In recent years, they have gained prominence among those looking to scale green energy efforts.

The project is estimated to cost the company $170 million, but representatives of Jupiter Power said that amount may change amid current economic fluctuations. Company representatives have also stated that they believe the project will support the local economy by creating “well-paying” union jobs for the construction of the facility and being a large contributor to city tax revenue for at least 15 years.

Community concerns

Concerns about the Streamfield project have been mounting in recent weeks. In an official capacity, town governments in Westfield and Southampton have taken public stances resisting the proposed facility. In December, Westfield City Council members unanimously passed a resolution opposing the project, and the Southampton Select Board and Planning Board issued a joint letter calling for further planning and outreach before the project moves forward.

Allie, the Westfield city councilor who has been proliferating the lawn signs sprinkled throughout the Valley, explained that concerns have been stoked by recent BESS fires in New York state and California. Between the summers of 2023 and 2024, three BESS fires occurred in New York. While these fires were contained, they forced residents to shelter in place and were battled by firefighters for about three days. Earlier this year, a similar fire and subsequent flare-up occurred at a BESS facility in Moss Landing, Calif., burning for days on end.

In California, scientists at San Jose State University’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories reported that increased levels of heavy metals were discovered in surrounding soil following the fires. However, officials in New York told residents that no indications of harmful contamination in groundwater or runoff after the fire events there. EPA air monitoring after the events in Moss Landing indicated that airborne pollutants released by BESS fires dissipate quickly, but Allie contends that the unique topographical layout of the Valley would prevent this from happening.

Allie explained that Westfield and surrounding towns lie at a low elevation — less than 100 feet above sea level in many places — and are surrounded by mountains. These topographic features cause air to “stagnate” in the area, which he said would prevent toxins released into the air from dissipating effectively.

“The air gets trapped here,” he said.

Allie raised concerns that pollutants in the air, and introduced into the aquifer through the soil or runoff, would have long-lasting impacts on the health of the environment and the public.

“You can never have a failure,” he said. “Nothing would make us whole again.”

Allie and other officials worry that only one of the more than 200 battery storage units on the site would have to catch fire to cause a long-burning blaze that spreads to other units, as BESS fires have in other states.

“I don’t like those odds at all,” Allie said. And many locals with signs staked in their yards opposing the project appear to feel the same way.

Kate Miller Carl, owner of Roundhill Orchards in Southampton whose yard sports one of these signs, worries about the well water she uses on the property being contaminated. In her rural community with abundant agriculture and many residents dependent on well water, Miller Carl said there is “ambient anxiety everywhere.”

“If anything were to jeopardize that water supply, it would be pretty dire,” she said.

At an Easthampton City Council meeting earlier this month, resident Cathy Wauczinski expressed worries about the history of fires at similar facilities, and what it could mean for the city’s water.

“Our Barnes Aquifer, our only water source, would no longer be viable if there was a fire there,” she said.

Company talks potential

The large-scale fires making headlines in California and New York didn’t only catch the attention of concerned locals. Officials and clean energy companies have been introducing new regulations and standards for fire safety since these events. Jupiter Power is confident that the precautions they are taking in response to these events and local input will prevent such disasters from happening.

“There are layers of protection built in for these batteries before they even arrive,” said Dan Watson, lead developer on the Streamfield project.

Jupiter Power has similar projects in operation across the country, from California to Texas to New England.

All of the battery cells for this project will arrive in hermetically sealed modules, or packs, of batteries. These modules will come pre-installed within a waterproof metal container. The battery containers themselves are also rigid structures protecting the BESS from mechanical damage and weather conditions.

These layers of protection, Watson explained, are designed to prevent disastrous fires. They aim to contain any possible fires to the battery unit that initiated the burn, rather than allowing the flames to spread to surrounding units.

“We have standards that require us to demonstrate that there is no propagation beyond one of these containers,” said Watson.

The battery containers will also be installed on concrete pads to prevent any potential chemical spillage from leaching into the ground. An additional safety measure specifically for this project site will be “shutoff valves” preventing any flow of contamination from exiting the site. These valves can be activated in the event of suspected contamination, isolating water flow into underground “catch basins.”

“We’ve taken concerns from the community in implementing that,” said Watson.

Watson also explained that fire safety requires proactive measures, which will consist of training for first responders and putting specific protocols in place for a potential fire event. In addition, Jupiter Power plans to have “subject matter experts” staffed 24/7 to talk responders through incidents.

Jupiter Power also points out in their community letter about the project that out of the thousands of BESS installations across the country, less than 30 fire events have been reported. These figures come from the BESS Failure Incident Database compiled by the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute. As of this April, Cleanview — an energy data company — reported that 742 of those BESS projects are large, utility-scale facilities.

“Battery storage fires are still exceedingly rare, and they are becoming more and more rare,” said Watson.

Aside from these lines of defense against fires, Watson also lauded the project’s potential to provide a “non-emitting, non-polluting” energy resource.

Watson hopes that this BESS project will enable the region to unlock more potential from wind and solar power by continuing to collect and store energy when usage dips. Sometimes when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, people aren’t using very much electricity.

BESS facilities are meant to store that extra energy for later use. Watson expects the project to help meet growing demands for electricity in New England, and hedge against the rising costs that discordance between supply and demand can cause.

Legislators respond

State Rep. Kelly Pease and state Sen. John Velis both told the Gazette that they are adamantly opposed to the Streamfield BESS project.

At the urging of constituents in Westfield, Pease has filed legislation seeking to place a temporary moratorium on the siting of lithium battery storage facilities (HD.4558). This legislation would place an 18-month pause on the siting of these projects and establish a study commission to assess the risks of such projects and make recommendations on future siting.

Pease said that he feels too much power has been taken away from local communities to push projects like this one forward faster. He hopes that this bill, if passed, will “give that control back to the rural communities.”

“This is not really just affecting Westfield, it will affect other communities as well,” said Pease.

Velis’ concerns about water contamination have also not been sated by Jupiter Power’s precautionary measures.

“Nobody knows better than Westfield about the wide-ranging damage that can ensue when a water supply becomes contaminated. For so many, the contamination of the Barnes Aquifer is still felt today as residents grapple with the serious lifelong health consequences related to their exposure to PFAS,” he wrote in a statement to the Gazette. “With this in mind, I am absolutely opposed to the proposed battery facility in such close proximity to the aquifer. The City has dedicated millions of dollars to treat our drinking water supply, and we must safeguard it from any potential forms of contamination.”

Hearing this month

The upcoming public state Siting Board hearing for the Streamfield project is set for April 29 at 6:30 p.m. The virtual hearing can be accessed via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84632716786 or by calling (646) 558-8656 and entering the webinar ID 846-3271-6786.

To provide oral comments during the public hearing, email Yonathan.Mengesha@mass.gov providing a name, email address and mailing address by noon on April 29.

Written comments must be filed by email or email attachment to both dpu.efiling@mass.gov and donna.sharkey@mass.gov no later than May 13 at 5 p.m. The email must specify the project’s docket number (EFSB 25-04/D.P.U. 24-151), the sender’s name, title and phone number, as well as a brief description of the document.

Comments must also be sent to the counsel for the company, Shane Early, at searly@sheppardmullin.com.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.