By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
(Northfield, MA) – A disagreement is brewing between a local power company and a Northfield farming family regarding water rights along the Connecticut River.
During a visit with Congressman Joe Kennedy, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, the owners of Four Star Farms in Northfield alleged that they had received a cease and desist order from the FirstLight Power company regarding the farm’s use of Connecticut River water to irrigate their farm. The owners also say they were threatened with legal action by the company, which refutes the claim, and says the issue is not the irrigation, but the presence of a potential river contaminant which is part of the system.
“In the late 1980s the farm constructed an irrigation pump and an above ground fuel oil tank at the river’s edge on company land without secondary containment of the fuel tank,” a representative from FirstLight said. “They did so without permission and refused to secure a permit as required under federal law.”
The company said it has tried to rectify the situation to no avail.
“We prefer to work collaboratively with our neighbors on these types of issues,” the FirstLight spokesperson added.
FirstLight denies sending a cease and desist letter, and that they have made attempts to permit the irrigation pump in the past. Requests for comments from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have so far gone unanswered..