Amherst won't use arsenic-laced soil at closed landfill site even though officials say it poses no health risks

Using contaminated soil at the closed landfill was distracting people from the benefits of a solar project there, officials said.

The Republican | Diane LedermanAmherst's capped landfill is the site of a proposed solar project.

AMHERST – Officials will not use arsenic-contaminated soil to grade the closed landfill even though state officials said using the soil poses no health risks.

Town Manager John P. Musante said the issue of using the soil “was becoming a real distraction” during the discussions earlier this month about creating a solar generating station at the site.

“There is no risk,” he said. But he said “there was a lot of anxiety.” The main thing is he didn’t want those concerns “to jeopardize what out main objective is.”

The town is working with Boston-based BlueWave Capital LLC to build a solar generating system that could produce 4.75 megawatts of electricity, enough to provide energy to all town buildings and schools, street lights and more. Depending on the cost of energy over time, the project could save the town about $25 million during the next 25 to 30 years.

Officials held a meeting with residents earlier this month to talk about the project, and residents raised concerns about the contaminated soil, along with the solar project.

The projects are separate, and even if the town didn’t proceed with the solar project, it still has to comply with a state Department of Environmental Protection order to regrade the site. That agency determined the town could use 4,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated with agricultural arsenic from the roundabout construction project near Atkins Country Market.

Musante, meanwhile, said town officials will meet with neighbors of the solar project in small groups to answer more questions. More than 100 people attended a recent meeting raising concerns about the effect of the project on the environment as well as its aesthetics.

Musante wants to address those concerns because, he said, the project will benefit the whole town. Officials want to “figure out a way to mitigate any prospective (problem).” And he reiterated that this is just the beginning. The project will have to undergo a range of permits, a process during which anyone with concerns will be able to comment.