Jaffrey manufacturer MilliporeSigma has proposed to build a paved area to let trucks carrying a sensitive chemical into the loading area of the factory’s water treatment plant, but to do so would encroach on the buffer zone for wetlands on the property.
Zoning Board Chair Lee Sawyer acknowledged the Catch-22 nature of the variance request, noting the buffer is meant to protect the wetlands, but the purpose of giving trucks access to the water treatment plant’s enclosed loading area is to prevent the possibility of a catastrophic chemical spill affecting that same resource.
“Do you want to protect the wetlands, or do you want to protect the wetlands?” was the way Sawyer summed up the choices.
MilliporeSigma has proposed a 80-foot by 100-foot paved area adjacent to the treatment center, which would encroach into almost the entirety of the 75-foot wetland buffer zone, but would not affect the wetlands themselves, explained MilliporeSigma Leader of Environmental Health & Safety Michelle Salvatore during a public hearing on the variance request.
Currently, trucks carrying the chemical sodium hydroxide, which is used to balance pH levels at the water treatment plant, park outside the plant and transfer the chemicals using hoses.
“If we had a catastrophic release of sodium hydroxide, we wouldn’t be able to contain it,” Salvatore said, adding it was a corporate requirement to attempt to mitigate any opportunities for that kind of catastrophic spill.
Elizabeth Webster, a member of the Jaffrey Conservation Commission, said during Tuesday’s meeting that sodium hydroxide has caustic properties and is reactive to water, and that the Conservation Commission was appreciative of efforts to keep potential spills contained, but is concerned about the proximity to the wetland.
“I don’t think it leaves much leeway,” Webster said, referring to the fact that if approved, the paved area would press up against wetlands with virtually no buffer. Webster noted that this wasn’t the first application by MilliporeSigma that had requested to encroach on the buffer. She suggested a mitigation option, either elsewhere on the property or through public outreach or education on wetlands.
Salvatore said MilliporeSigma was already involved in science education for children through grants to local libraries and MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Cube, which provides science enrichment activities.
Board members asked if the proposed paved area had to be the exact dimensions proposed, or if there was opportunity for it to have less impact on the buffer. Salvatore said it was likely it could be reduced somewhat. The board requested she look into that option. In the meantime, the board members agreed to take a walk of the property to better understand the dimensions and wetland boundary.
The board continued the meeting without taking further comment from residents.
Board members agreed to schedule a site walk to view the property, the proposed layout of the parking area and the wetland border. The site walk is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16, at 3 p.m. The board will meet at the town offices and travel to MilliporeSigma.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.