LYNN, Mass. — A new initiative to clean King’s Beach has some residents losing sleep over how loud the project’s equipment is.
On Friday, Congressman Seth Moulton, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, Swampscott Interim Town Administrator Sean Cresta, and other officials cut the ribbon on a three-month pilot program aimed at cleaning the beach using ultraviolet technology.
The technology utilizes large tanks to clean and sanitize stormwater that runs into King’s Beach.
“This is one of the last dirty beaches in Greater Boston, and that is unacceptable,” said Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson. “Today, we can say with certainty that you can swim in this beach.”
The program has been running since the beginning of June and will continue through August.
While the sanitation methods have proved effective, residents who live near the worksite say the machines being used are loud and run 24 hours a day.
“It’s as if we’re living in an industrial park,” said Steve Harrington, an Ocean Street resident.
Noise measurements performed around the pilot treatment worksite between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. on July 23 greatly exceeded permitted ordinance values, according to a study done by Joseph Smullin, a noise and vibrations engineer and president of J&A Enterprises.
“Measurements of the treatment plant noise were performed on the sidewalks in front of residences across from the plant, and at one house back from works on Eastern Ave ranged from 61 to 65 dB(A),” Smullin wrote. “This is far in excess of the allowance of 10 dB above the L permitted under DEP noise limits.”
Jeff Chelgren, a longtime Ocean Street resident, says when he brings these problems up to city and state officials, nothing is resolved.
“We’ve been here 30 years and there’s a dismissiveness that as a 30 year resident of a community, it hurts,” he says. “No matter how much we talk, the only way we can seem to get any attention is through legal action.”
Swampscott homeowner Eugene Andrews says a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the UV pilot program’s beach cleaning progress shows a disconnect.
“You can hear this noise inside the house at night. If I wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning for whatever reason, I can hear that running.”
In a statement, the mayor’s office said the results of the pilot program have been very promising, but understands residents frustrations:
"We understand the temporary pilot project’s sound affects neighbors and have done our best to be responsive in addressing those concerns. We used the sound specifications of the equipment provided by the manufacturer for planning purposes and have added fencing and sound barriers. This is a temporary pilot program and all the equipment will be removed at the end of the summer, at which point we can evaluate its overall effectiveness as we continue to work toward a permanent solution to this century-old problem.”
In the meantime, the project is expected to continue through the month of August with the machines operating on their normal schedule.
Both Chelgren and Harrington say they‘re in favor of cleaning the beach, but want it done in a way that doesn’t effect residents who live there.
“If you can imagine this noise, at midnight, 24/7, every weekend, every night, that’s kind of the level of situation we’re in,” Chelgren said. “It’s been insomnia for 2 months.”
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