Oak Ridge Golf Club, Inc. of Agawam has entered into a consent agreement with the Department of Environmental Protection for presumed violations of the Water Management Act.
The Water Management Act requires that any business, which uses an average of over 100,000 gallons per day of water or nine million gallons in a three-month period, must obtain a Water Management Act permit. A DEP inspection and review of irrigation plans established that Oak Ridge Golf Club had the capacity to withdraw water in an amount requiring a permit. Oak Ridge Golf Club established its irrigation system prior to the enactment of the Water Management Act and had not increased its water withdrawal capacity since the enactment of the Water Management Act.
The Department and Oak Ridge Golf Club entered the agreement because it is in their own interests, and in the public interest, to proceed promptly with the actions called for therein rather than expend additional time and resources regarding the presumed violation. Oak Ridge Golf Club will pay the sum of $2,100 within 30 days for its presumed violation. The remaining amount of $18,750 will be suspended provided that Oak Ridge Golf Club obtains a Water Management Act Permit and complies with the terms of the agreement.
“The Water Management Act permitting process is designed to ensure that users of large quantities of water do not adversely effect nearby water users, including sensitive habitat,” says Michael Gorski, the director of DEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield. “The permitting process allows the Department and the public to review those impacts and the Department to appropriately condition permits.”
The DEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.
