The Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce’s business of the year has settled a lawsuit with the U.S. government and the Environmental Protection Agency, following allegations that it violated the federal Clean Water Act several times in a four-year period starting in 2011.
The initial complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire on Jan. 30, contends that EMD Millipore, of Jaffrey, indirectly discharged several pollutants including, ammonia, total suspended solids (TSS) and oxygen-demanding pollutants on “numerous occasions” from February 2011 to March 2015, into the facility’s on-site wastewater treatment plant, which feeds into the town’s facility.
In a consent decree filed the same day, EMD Millipore agreed to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility and pay $385,000 in fines for the alleged violations.
“We take this very seriously and we’re continuing to seek to improve our operations,” said Rachel Bloom-Baglin, head of external and executive communications for MilliporeSigma, who works out of the company’s Billerica, Massachusetts office.
Attempts to speak with local representatives of EMD Millipore were unsuccessful. Though Bloom-Baglin insisted changes were coming, Jaffrey Department of Public Works Director Randall Heglin said EMD Millipore has improved its process since 2015, after the town noticed that the company was sending “strong” wastewater, or water with high levels of TSS, pH and oxygen-depriving pollutants, causing the town to violate its own permit with the EPA.
“Millipore’s really stepped up to the plate, what they are sending us now is really consistent wastewater,” said Jaffrey Department of Public Works Director Randall Heglin.
Water with high levels of oxygen-demanding pollutants have a “negative impact on the environment” and create an “additional burden” on local wastewater plants to treat the water, said David Deegan, a public affairs officer with the EPA. Heglin says the town’s wastewater plant “was not designed to accommodate” the strong water from EMD Millipore.
The town, which is not facing fines according to officials, discharges its wastewater into the north-flowing Contoocook River, which feeds into Merrimack River, then the Atlantic Ocean.
The Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce named MilliporeSigma, the parent company of EMD Millipore, its 2016 business of the year. The two companies are part of Germany-based Merck KGaA. The Jaffrey, N.H. plant employs more than 800 people, according to last year’s figures.
In a release, the chamber lauded the company’s work with the Jaffrey Chamber’s Santa’s House program, where employees purchase gifts for needy Jaffrey children. The company is also involved in TEAM Jaffrey, the Lion’s Club, Shelter from the Storm, the Chamber’s Ron Despres Memorial Golf Classic, and the Jaffrey Food Bank, the release said.
EMD Millipore uses solvents, such as ethanol, isopropyl alcohol and propylene glycol, to manufacture and test its membranes, which are used for medical devices, according to the complaint.
Tony Marquis can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 225 or tmarquis@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @tmarquisMLT.