WESTFORD — A Westford quarry was fined by the Department of Environmental Protection for producing nuisance dust, according to a press release from the agency.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fined W.J. Graves Construction Co., Inc. a total of $19,000 for nuisance dust conditions at the rock crushing operation.
In 2023, MassDEP received complaints about the dust emissions coming from the quarry and its impact on businesses and residents. The quarry was found to produce nuisance dust conditions during inspections by MassDEP and the Westford Health Department.
“The nuisance dust produced by the facility’s operations is a threat to the health and well-being of the residents and businesses located in the Ledge Road neighborhood,” Eric Worrall, director of MassDEP’s Northeast Regional Office in Woburn said in the release. “The company must implement a plan to address those fugitive emissions and protect the health of the residents or cease operations at the facility.”
Alleged conditions were due to improperly maintaining piles of crushed stones and allowing truck traffic leaving the facility on private and public portions of Ledge Road to generate dust.
The facility was also required to submit a permit application to address and reduce emissions from its operations.
Measures included applying water or coverage to the storage piles, using a water truck to spray water on the roadways within the facility when the roads are in use, to stop any additional stone storage files along the site’s east property line, and relocate the fine articulate aggregate storage piles from the east property line.
