Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $224,100 to Restore the Environment after Acid Spill

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that $224,100 has been awarded to the Connecticut River Conservancy to support an environmental restoration project that will help restore the natural resources harmed as a result of an acid spill in 2019 from the Barnhardt Manufacturing Facilities in Colrain, MA. The grant is made possible through the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Natural Resource Damages (NRD) Program, which uses settlement funds to help to repair and restore damaged natural resources.

The Connecticut River Conservancy, working with the Town of Colrain, will use this funding to hire a consultant to design the removal of the Colrain Lower Reservoir Dam. They will also work on stabilizing stream banks adjacent to the Colrain Fire Station. These projects are important for restoring the North River’s ecosystem, which supports cold water fisheries, aquatic life, riverine and wetland resources, sediment, and sediment-dwelling organisms.

"For decades, the North River watershed served as a habitat for fish and wildlife, and a recreational resource for fishing, hunting, and shellfishing," said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. "We are grateful to be working with the Connecticut River Conservancy and the Town of Colrain to improve water quality and fish habitat in the North River. By working together, we will restore natural resources in Colrain."

A 2021 Consent Judgement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Barnhardt Manufacturing Company and North River, LLC included $225,000 as monetary compensation for injury to and for destruction or loss of natural resources associated with the 2019 acid spill. The acid soaked into the ground and flowed into a nearby brook and down into the North River, damaging over fourteen acres of sensitive riverine, cold-water fishery habitat, and wetland resources, including protected habitat of two state-listed rare species. The settlement funds were deposited into the Massachusetts NRD Trust to be used for environmental restoration projects that restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of natural resources that were injured.

For more information, please visit the MassDEP NRD Program page.

MassDEP's mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth; to provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

###