Say ‘no’ to the westfield warehouse/distribution center

Highlights

  • Developers: Winstanley Enterprises partnering with North Point Development
    • The largest warehouse developers in New England
  • 126-acre parcel situated between Falcon Drive and North Road (Route 202)
  • 524,000 SF general distribution facility
  • 1.4 million SF built on a water resource protection zone protecting the aquifer drinking water
  • Approximately 1,200 vehicle/trucks per day adding to our already congested Southampton and North roads and inadequate intersections.

Protect residents access to clean water!

Below is a letter read at the Planning Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2024


I want to speak to every Westfield residents right to clean drinking water.


I want to speak to the unknown consequences of digging up and paving over 1.5 million Sq Ft over our Water Protection District, at Barnes Aquifer!


In my view Westfield has been in a water crisis for years since it was discovered that the Air National Guard had used fire fighting foam with PFAS chemicals In then 1980s and it was allowed to sink into the groundwater. Our residents drank water polluted with these chemicals for Years, the health effects of which are still be studied. THE AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND DISEASE HAS INTERVIEWED AND TAKEN blood from 459 residents and visited their homes to gather additional sampling. LEVELS OF PFAS CHEMICALS IN WESTFIELD RESIDENTS WERE UP TO FOUR TIMES HIGHER THAN NATIONAL AVERAGES. Our city has spent millions of dollars building carbon filtering systems for two of our wells 7 and 8.


I hold in my hand A Report reviewing technical documents associated with pfas contamination on the base ordered by the Air National Guard which was just completed last summer. Executed by Prof. David Boutt, UMass Geosciences School of Earth and Sustainability.


I am not a technical person but in short. The Barnes AQUIFER MOVES NORTH TO SOUTH


All these contamination sites have sunk into the aquifer created a polluted plume that is moving south, spreading out and apparently it is moving quickly down into the bedrock, which they tell me is bad news.

Westfield has 5 other municipal wells south or down gradient of the contamination sites.


Apparently, by paving/building creating an impervious surface you of course remove the roll of plants, vegetation and trees from absorbing approx. half of that rainfall. CONSEQUENTLY A lot more of that rainfall will infiltrate into the groundwater , at different concentrated locations, and at different rate. This construction over 1.5 million square feet will HAVE UNKNOWN CONSEQUENCES TO THE EXISTING PFAS PLUME and its migration.


DR. BOUTT STATES IN THIS PAPER THE PLUME SIZE IS LARGER THAN CLAIMED IN PREVIOUS STUDIES AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A FULL SCALE GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION TO STUDY THE FLOW AND TRANSPORT OF THE CONTAMINATION, MORE BEDROCK SAMPLING AND MORE MONITORING WELLS BEFORE A REMEDIATION STRATEGY IS DEVELOPED.


WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE DON’T KNOW. Have you read this report? We need to do the studies and understand the long term consequences before we allow any development here!


AND YOU, THE WESTFIELD PLANNING BOARD NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT A WATER CRISES EXISTS IN YOUR HOME TOWN TODAY!


AND RECOGNIZE THAT ALLOWING THIS LARGE SCALE PROJECT TO BE APPROVED COULD HAVE INTENDED CONSEQUENCES BY ALTERING THE MIGRATION OF THE PFAS PLUME AND FURTHER THREATEN MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER SOURCES.


Map of the proposed warehouse-distribution center

Please sign our petition to urge local decision

makers to vote ‘no’ on this distribution center proposal and to protect our aquifer. Thank you!

This massive Winstanley warehouse proposal will negatively impact every Westfield resident who drives near the Mass Pike entrance, all the way to the Holyoke town line. Southampton Road (Route 202) has underperforming intersections and traffic lights that are not made for this level of traffic. Traffic jams are a daily occurrence now before this warehouse is even built!


In 2021 the Westfield Planning Board discussed the negative impacts of excessive truck traffic in the northern half of town. They pushed the issue to the City Council who agreed something needed to be done. The council discussed creating a moratorium for all truck related businesses while the Master Plan for Westfield was being created, but that was never implemented. Unfortunately our city officials have not prioritized the health and welfare of its residents. We ask you to sign the petition above and come to the next planning board meeting, please see details below. Thank you!


nEXT PLANNING BOARD MEETING MAY DECIDE the FATE OF THIS OVERSIZED WAREHOUSE ON OUR AQUIFER!

Participate in local democracy and help protect out city for future generations!


next MEETING: Tuesday, January 16th 7:00pm , westfield city Hall

WHY THIS giant WAREHOUSE DOES NOT

BELONG iN WEStfield!

Why does this distribution center not belong in Westfield?

Environmental Impact

  • This development falls within the Water Resource Protection Area as it is located over the Westfield aquifer
  • Any development over the aquifer risks clean drinking water for current and future residents

Road run off pollutes the Hampton Ponds

putting fish, birds, wildlife and recreational use

at risk.

Safety Impact

  • Daily increase of 1,200 vehicle/trucks per day on Southampton and North Rds. will create unsafe conditions.
  • Increased traffic creates safety risk at Southampton Road Elementary School


Health Impact

  • Tractor trailer trucks expel high levels of particulant air pollution which has proven to cause cancers and respiratory illnesses in neighborhoods in proximity of roads and intersections

Hampton Ponds…Westfield’s environmental jewel


HAMPTON PONDS is a collection of 7 glacially formed ponds in the northern section of Westfield. These ponds are an environmental jewel for Westfield. The largest is Pequot Pond which has extensive public access with two supervised beaches, areas for picnics and a public boat ramp.

Truck routes travel between two of our ponds creating dangerous pollution run off and threatening sensitive ecology and protected species.

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Do we need to put a giant warehouse here on our aquifer in Westfield when there are better locations alongside our highways? NO!!!!

Their trucks will need to travel thru our neighborhoods emitting pollutants that risk our health and environment!



Protect this natural lake environment……. No more trucks!

What is the Barnes aquifer and why is it important?

WHAT IS THE BARNES AQUIFER AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT/

our aquifer creation started over 65 million years ago and was fully formed approx. 13000 years ago after the last ice age. All that time and it took us only a few short years to contaminate it with pfas chemicals. In the last 10 years Westfield has spent million and millions to build new filtration systems. The fact is clean water is a precious right and we need to limit development of this sensitive resource. allowing a company to come in and pave over 32 acres of our protected water resource land is a big mistake. Our next generations will blame us for our cowardice.

Tell our city officials to value quality of life over tax dollars.

The Westfield Planning Board has reviewed the project and may vote as early as the next meeting: Tuesday, January 16th 7:00pm, City Hall. Please join us and stand up to say “No More Trucks!!”


the developers say 90% of the traffic will be traveling along Southampton Rd (rt. 202) to the Mass Pike. It is common to experience slow downs and traffic jams at multiple points. Adding additional vehicles in front of the Southampton Rd. elementary School is a mistake. We see vehicles “whizzing” in front of the school! this will ultimately puts our children safety at risk.