Quincy manufacturing plant operators sued for allegedly polluting nearby waters

A new federal lawsuit accuses the operators of a manufacturing plant in Quincy of violating federal permit limits and standards, and polluting nearby waters with oil and grease, heavy metals, and other harmful substances.

The alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act are laid out in a suit announced Tuesday morning by the Conservation Law Foundation and filed against Twin Rivers Technologies, which since 1994 has owned and operated a fatty acid and glycerin manufacturing facility at 780 Washington St.

The Quincy plant is located across the Fore River from a natural gas compressor station in North Weymouth that was built despite widespread opposition from residents of the region who for years expressed health and safety concerns.

The 47-page lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges that Twin Rivers is polluting the Weymouth-Fore River and the Town River Bay on an ongoing basis and emitting dangerous amounts of volatile organic chemicals and other air pollutants into nearby neighborhoods.

"The stench and polluted air and water from Twin Rivers has negatively impacted the health and quality of life of community members for too long," CLF attorney Erica Kyzmir-McKeon said. "Everyone in this community has a right to clean air and water. This facility needs to own up to its unlawful actions and prioritize stopping this pollution for good."

The plaintiffs notified Twin Rivers on June 14 of its intent to file a lawsuit and sent copies of the notice letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection. The suit says that more than 60 days have elapsed since the notice letter was mailed "during which time neither EPA nor the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has commenced an action to redress the violations alleged in this Complaint."

The Conservation Law Foundation is a regional environmental advocacy nonprofit with 5,400 members in New England, including some who live, work and recreate in the Weymouth-Fore River and Town River Bay, according to the suit.

Early Tuesday evening, Twin Rivers Technologies issued a statement denying the allegations made in the suit.

"Twin Rivers Technologies (TRT) finds the allegations in this lawsuit inaccurate, denies them and will vigorously oppose them in court," the statement said. "We demonstrate daily our ongoing commitment to sustainability and compliance which has earned us global, national and regional recognition and a valued positive relationship with the Quincy community. Guided closely by regulators, these efforts will continue in spite of CLF's unwarranted claims."