IN THE NEWS First offshore wind farm opens

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The nation’s first offshore wind farm has opened off the coast of Rhode Island, ushering in a new era in the U.S. for the industry.

Deepwater Wind built five turbines 3 miles off Block Island to power about 17,000 homes, a project costing about $300 million. It announced Monday that the wind farm has begun producing energy for the grid.

Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski calls the opening a momentous occasion that unlocks the code of how to do offshore wind in the U.S. at a crucial time when states are trying to figure out how to replace aging power plants.

Deepwater Wind installed the wind farm over two years, with the five turbines installed in August. National Grid is buying the output.

— The Associated Press

THE REGULATORS

The following are recent state Department of Environmental Protection consent orders and penalty assessments in the region.

UNILATERAL DECLARATION OF WATER SUPPLY EMERGENCY, Oct. 31, Belchertown: Issued to the Department of Conservation and Recreation at the Quabbin Administrative Building in Belchertown. The order was delivered to the DCR to address the administrative building’s water system use during the time that planned work on the building’s water storage tank takes place.

UNILATERAL ORDER, Oct. 26, Belchertown: Issued Pine Valley Plantation Cooperative Corp. in Belchertown. The order addresses total coliform bacteria detections at various locations and e.coli bacteria detections in well #2 at this small community public water system.

CONSENT ORDER FOR ASBESTOS VIOLATIONS, Oct. 24, Easthampton: Entered into a consent order with a $9,000 penalty involving Verizon New England Inc. for asbestos violations in Easthampton. Verizon violated the regulations by causing a condition which posed a potential threat to human health, safety and welfare or to the environment during asbestos abatement activities at the Manhan Rail Trail Park Street underpass in Easthampton. On Sept. 19, 2015, vandals destructively removed damaged sections of asbestos-containing utility conduit from a utility right-of-way owned and operated by Verizon and smashed the sections onto the Manhan Rail Trail below. Following a two-day delay after being notified of the conditions, Verizon initiated cleanup of the site. Verizon also failed to meet asbestos abatement performance standards on three separate days over the course of the following week, which delayed the cleanup. Verizon agreed to pay the $9,000 penalty as part of the settlement agreement.

PENALTY ASSESSMENT NOTICE, Oct. 12, Deerfield: Issued a $5,750 penalty assessment notice to Deerfield AD 1 LLC, for installing control equipment at its anaerobic digester without prior approval in Deerfield. Installation of such equipment is required under existing air quality regulations.

UNILATERAL WATER SUPPLY EMERGENCY, Sept. 22, Whately: Issued a unilateral water supply emergency to Whately Water District in Whately regarding its inability to maintain an adequate supply to its customers from its approved active wells. MassDEP through this order allows the district to use its well #3, an unapproved source, for bulk or bottled water to meet system demand, with conditions regarding its emergency plan, water quality monitoring, water conservation, leak detection and progress reports.

CONSENT ORDER FOR WATER SUPPLY VIOLATIONS, Sept. 19, Whately: Entered into a consent order with Whately Water District for water supply violations in Whately. The district has agreed to address needed improvements to its storage, including cleaning the water storage tank, an improved point-of-entry sample location and continued monitoring for manganese.

UNILATERAL ORDER FOR WATER SUPPLY VIOLATIONS, Sept. 13, Goshen: Issued a unilateral order to Jerry J. Bird, doing business as Spruce Corner Restaurant in Goshen, for water supply violations. Spruce Corner Restaurant operates a transient public water system. Bird failed to submit the 2015 annual statistical report required of all public water systems and failed to submit the report after receipt of a notice of noncompliance.

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