Press Release  MassDEP Issues Fine for Waste Site Cleanup Violations in Leicester

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a $7,875 penalty to 21-69 Main Street, LLC, for violating the oil and hazardous material spill cleanup regulations at its property located at 21-69 Main Street in Leicester. 

The property is a former fabric and leather manufacturing mill site where a cleanup of historic oil and hazardous material releases was completed in 2013. A portion of the property is subject to a Notice of Activity and Use Limitation (AUL), which restricts certain property uses and imposes maintenance obligations due to residual contamination. The company purchased the property in 2023 but failed to incorporate the AUL in the deed and to provide a copy of the deed to MassDEP as required.   

In January 2025, MassDEP inspected the property and discovered the company had performed excavation work and created piles of contaminated soil at the site. The company did not consult with a Licensed Site Professional, submit a plan for the work to MassDEP, notify MassDEP of a change in the activity and exposure at the site, or provide a health and safety plan for workers, all of which are requirements of the AUL. Additionally, the company was improperly storing contaminated soil and had not promptly removed and disposed of the soil piles. 

“Activity and Use Limitations provide necessary safeguards to ensure remaining contamination does not compromise public health or the environment,” said Andrea Briggs, acting director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. “Property owners who fail to follow these requirements may expose the public to avoidable risks, which will result in additional costs, including possible fines.” 

In addition to the penalty, MassDEP’s consent order directs the company to remove and properly dispose of contaminated soil piles at the site. 

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