NEWBURYPORT — Mark Richey Woodworking is promising to take care of any clean up after homes along Route 1 on Friday were sprayed with hydraulic fluid discharged by the company’s wind turbine.
Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III said the incident was likely caused by recent heavy rains and winds.
Despite the discharge of unwanted chemicals, Bradbury said he’s not concerned about potential health issues considering the amount of hydraulic fluid released was not enough for the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to deem it a “reportable event.”
“There was a thin mixture of rain water and some hydraulic fluid but the fluid does not appear to have come from the hydraulic lines. It instead came from a catch basin,” he said. “The state will not be overseeing the cleanup.”
Mark Richey Woodworking Chief Operating Officer Greg Porfido said the company regrets the mess its turbine caused and will take steps to prevent future mishaps.
“We want to take care of what can be taken care of right away,” he said.
Porfido added his company has been in contact with DEP officials, as well as the Newburyport Board of Health.
“We will work with them to address any potential environmental or health concerns,” he said.
Since 2009, Mark Richey Woodworking has owned and operated the 292-foot-tall wind turbine that looms large over Parker Street. In 2017, it was reported the company receives 60 percent of its electricity from the wind system.
On Friday afternoon, the Newburyport Fire Department received a complaint from condominium owners at 161 Route 1 North, located near the turbine.
Bradbury said homeowners reported an oily fluid on the sides of their houses, windows, cars and driveways.
After investigating the complaints personally, Bradbury visited the nearby Clipper City Rail Trail, where he said he found evidence of hydraulic fluid.
“It looked like raindrops,” he said.
Among those seeing red after the incident is Hill Street resident Jason LaCroix who said he found chemical splotches all over his property, located about a block east of Route 1. He also checked his parents’ house, located a few homes closer to the turbine, where he found even more hydraulic fluid.
“Their house, deck and garage was covered with all of these splotches of oil,” he said.
On Monday, Porfido confirmed the liquid came from the turbine.
“We think the rain storm from a week ago accumulated a lot of liquid. Then the wind shook the tower and drove through it,” he said. “That pushed the liquid, water and oil outside the turbine, letting it flow onto the tower. The wind then atomized it and sprayed it across the area.”
Porfido added the turbine has experienced leaks before but those were contained.
“Nothing like this has happened before,” he said.
Residents affected by the spray, Porfido said, can reach out to his company directly about a clean up plan. The turbine has also been shut down for the time being.
“The sooner we get their information, the sooner we can get the insurance company out there,” he said.
LaCroix, who is board president of the annual Yankee Homecoming celebration, said he is filing a complaint with the Department of Environmental Protection. He is also encouraging neighbors to do the same.
“I want to know what the liquid was that was released and what its toxicity is,” he said. “The house can be painted and cleaned. But I’m more concerned about the stuff that is going to wash down the drains, when it rains.”
LaCroix also keeps bees, a koi pond and an organic garden on his property.
“My fish are my pets, I don’t want to see them die,” he said.
Friday’s discharge, LaCroix said, was not the first time he raised concerns about the turbine. In April, he said he reached out to the Newburyport Building Department, asking if there had been any recent repairs to the structure.
“It had been acting strange and was making different noises,” he said. “If the wind gets too strong, the blades can throttle themselves to the point where it shuts itself off. I believe the blades have been throttled like that since April. But every once in a while, it releases and, to my knowledge, they haven’t done all the repairs.”
LaCroix said he was told by the building department the company that manufactured the turbine is now out of business. Therefore parts have become scarce.
“I don’t know if that makes it unrepairable but if it is, it should be taken down,” he said.