Massachusetts Homeowners to Pay Stormwater Cleanup Costs

The Town of Westford, Mass., board has declared a public nuisance on stormwater runoff from the Barrister Drive subdivision onto Forge Village Road, the Lowell Sun reported.

The problem reported started when three of the five owners of the large Barrister Road properties had their land cleared. These three property owners, not all five, will be responsible for footing the bill for cleanup required because of the resulting increase in stormwater runoff.

This decision is the latest in a series of steps the community has taken to keep pace with its five-year plan to clean up runoff around Westford.

A consultant to the town's storm-water management program, Ginny Scarlet, said yesterday the community is making progress on its five-year plan to clean up runoff around Westford.

"Storm water is now the largest source of pollution in Massachusetts," Ginny Scarlet, a consultant to the town's stormwater management program, told the Lowell Sun. She also noted that the town currently is spending about $60,000 per year on stormwater management.

Source: Lowell Sun