By Adam Swift
Following a loud disruption at its plant that reverberated throughout Saugus and Revere on Monday, Sept. 25, WINWaste Innovations has promised to take steps to prevent further disturbances.
In the days after the incident, the Saugus Board of Health held an emergency meeting. At that meeting, representatives from WIN Waste provided an update on the situation and steps it will be taking in the future.
“To summarize, on Monday night (Sept. 25) at approximately 8:20 during a routine weekly test of the turbine main steam stop valve, the valve remained closed, preventing the steam from going to the turbine,” according to a statement from WIN Waste. “In this situation, the steam needs to be vented and is typically routed through a drag valve to the silencer. The drag valve did not open automatically, causing the steam to be vented through safety relief valves, which functioned as designed.
“When this occurs, it results in an extremely loud noise, due to the significant velocity and volume of steam leaving the boiler at one time,” the statement continued. “Plant personnel manually opened the drag valve as the plant was being taken offline and, after approximately 22 minutes, the drag valve was opened and the noise abated.”
According to WIN Waste, a preventative work order was placed into its system to complete a biweekly test to exercise the drag valve to further prevent any issues with the valve not being free to open and close. To address concerns the Saugus Fire and Police departments expressed about real-time communication, WIN Waste initiated the process of installing a dedicated phone line for their use only.
The company stated it will also work to provide a Reverse 911 notification system. In addition, WIN Waste stated that a third-party contractor that works for Saugus completed an extensive analysis of the impact of our facility on air quality in Saugus and determined that even under the worst-case meteorological conditions, the emissions from the WIN Waste facility would not cause adverse effects on air quality.
In the wake of the Sept. 25 incident, a number of Revere leaders stated that they remained frustrated that the WIN Waste facility has been allowed to remain in operation, causing disturbances and discomfort for city residents, especially those in the nearby Point of Pines and Riverside neighborhoods.
