SAUGUS, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The noise coming from Wheelabrator Saugus, the nation's oldest incinerator, can be so bad it rattles windows.
A resident who lives near the facility sent the video below to WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal. That resident said the video, which appears to show loud noises coming from the plant, was taken around 3:15 a.m. on a weeknight last week.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection said the noise was caused by a failed turbine. After the facility was taken offline over the weekend, one boiler and the turbine that powers it were brought back online Tuesday; DEP said the other boiler will be back online Wednesday.
The DEP said they have repeatedly had inspectors onsite, and are continuing to monitor conditions there.
Wheelabrator Technology said in a statement that they've invested millions in technology upgrades and improvements at their Saugus plant, and that it undergoes scheduled and unscheduled repairs on occasion.
"We apologize to members of the community who may be inconvenienced during these repairs and maintenance periods," the company's statement read.
Residents say noise coming from the plant has been a repeated occurrence—and State Rep. RoseLee Vincent told WBZ NewsRadio she's had enough.
"This time, it was a damaged oil deflector, last time it was a silencer that broke," she said. "The time before that, the entire plant went down because a raccoon got into something or other."
Wheelabrator was on fire for days last summer without anyone calling the fire department.
"This is a dinosaur of an incinerator," Rep. Vincent said. "They can't get parts readily. When it breaks down, it breaks down. The part that I think is most frightening to me is that with the noise, you hear how badly this incinerator is working."
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports
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