|
|
|
|
|
| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Patriot Ledger |
|
|
Worldwide law firm to battle reservoir project; To aid Friends of the Blue Hills in fight over wetlands By JESSICA VAN SACK QUINCY - Environmentalists landed an international law firm to represent them in a quest to make the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority replace the wetlands it plans to destroy in the Blue Hills Reservation. The law firm, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, took the case of the conservationist group Friends of the Blue Hills without charge. Lawyers said they intend to file a court appeal within two weeks to halt the plan to build two emergency water supply tanks in the Blue Hills. The plan would destroy more than 8 acres of wetlands. We believe this case raises important questions about the government’s responsibility to abide by the environmental rules,’’ said attorney Michael Vhay. Meanwhile, the MWRA vowed a swift start on construction. The agency has warned that further delays on the $31 million project would drive up construction costs and sock ratepayers in the wallet. This project is of critical importance to the residents of Quincy and Milton, and we’re moving forward expeditiously,’’ said MWRA spokeswoman Ria Convery. Retaining a lawyer is the latest step in a years-long battle waged by environmental advocates who say the MWRA was granted an unprecedented and unfair exemption from the state Wetlands Protection Act, which requires construction projects to replace the wetlands they destroy. The Blue Hills Covered Storage project would provide two water tanks on what is now the 15-acre Blue Hills Reservoir, a visible body of water in the Blue Hills Reservation near Route 128. More than 8 acres of wetlands would be lost in the plan to build the tanks on the eastern half of the reservoir, which is off Chickatawbut Road in Quincy. The tanks would contain a secure, covered supply of water for 100,000 ratepayers in Quincy, Milton and parts of Boston that would last 24 hours. Billed as a post-Sept. 11 security measure, the project was granted an exception to wetlands laws by the Department of Environmental Protection, which overturned decisions of local conservation commissions as well as that of an environmental appeals judge. The MWRA had previously criticized the Friends of the Blue Hills as the only hitch in an otherwise supported project, but seven state lawmakers have recently voiced their opposition as well. In April, Rep. Ronald Mariano of Quincy, Sen. Brian Joyce and Rep. Walter Timilty of Milton and Rep. William Galvin of Canton urged Robert Golledge Jr., commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, to require the MWRA replace the wetlands it destroys. Earlier this month, Mayor William Phelan requested the MWRA recreate the lost wetlands somewhere in Quincy and was rebuffed. Friends of the Blue Hills president Tom Palmer recently filed a motion to reconsider a ruling by Golledge that the MWRA could move forward with its plan. Golledge rejected Palmer’s motion on Nov. 10, and the MWRA has already begun draining the reservoir. Palmer said the Friends plan to file a court appeal as early as next week. Convery said she did not know whether the court appeal would force a halt to construction. Jessica Van Sack may be reached at jvansack@ledger.com. Copyright 2005 The Patriot Ledger |
|
| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Patriot Ledger, 400 Crown Colony Drive |
