Press Release  AG’s Office Reaches Settlement With Amesbury Concrete Company for Illegally Discharging Stormwater

BOSTON — A company that runs a concrete products manufacturing facility in Amesbury has agreed to pay $57,500 – the majority of which will fund local water quality improvement projects – to settle allegations that it illegally discharged industrial stormwater into wetlands connected to the Merrimack River, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

The consent decree, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and pending court approval, settles allegations that Shea Concrete Products, Inc. violated the Federal Clean Water Act when it illegally discharged industrial stormwater from its facility into wetlands connected to the Merrimack River, without complying with its federal industrial stormwater discharge permit.

“Stormwater is the leading threat to our state’s waterways and wetlands, which are critical natural resources that provide flood control and habitats for our wildlife,” AG Healey said. “We’re pleased that this initiative is continuing to help clean up our state’s waterways.”

Stormwater pollution is regulated under a variety of federal Clean Water Act permits and is recognized as the largest threat to water quality in the state. Certain industrial facilities in Massachusetts like this one must obtain specific authorization for stormwater discharges, properly monitor and control stormwater discharges, and comply with state water protection laws.

In its complaint filed with the consent decree, the AG’s Office alleges that Shea violated its stormwater permit by failing to properly monitor and control its stormwater flowing from its facility both through the City's municipal storm drain system and directly into wetlands connected to the Merrimack River. According to the complaint, the stormwater discharges are likely to contain pollutants that can cause significant deterioration of aquatic ecosystems.

Under the terms of the consent decree, Shea Concrete Products, Inc. is required to pay $32,500 to the City of Amesbury to fund a project that will reduce road salt discharges to Lake Attitash, a potential source of drinking water in the Merrimack River watershed. The settlement also requires the company to pay the state $25,000 to offset the costs of the AG’s enforcement efforts and for future monitoring of the company’s compliance with the consent decree.

Today’s announcement is part of a civil enforcement initiative out of AG Healey’s Environmental Protection Division that focuses on combatting pollution by enforcing the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act and the federal Clean Air Act in Massachusetts, along with applicable state environmental laws. This will be the eleventh settlement from the initiative since its inception in 2018. These settlements have recovered more than $600,000 for local environmental improvement projects and civil penalties.

This case was handled by Special Assistant Attorney General Nora Chorover and Attorney Emily Mitchell, both of AG Healey’s Environmental Protection Division.

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