The debate over a low frequency sound coming from a Bristol facility continues to make noise.
On Tuesday, Kevin Ainsworth, a lawyer representing the Bristol-Burlington Health District, said the latest’s improvements made by Reworld have not decreased noise coming from induced draft fans.
He said on Dec. 6, “the BBHD took some acoustical measurements which determined that there was no discernable decrease in the noise levels and in the opinion of the BBHD, they remain out of compliance with the two Notices of Violation and the Public Health Code.”
The company withdrew its appeal of a violation order last month, saying it takes these concerns seriously and is addressing them.
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At that time, Reworld said it had ordered new parts for these fans and earlier upgrades reduced the noise levels below city and state regulations.
Ainsworth said he has requested civil assistance from the attorney general. In addition, BBHD has filed a criminal complaint with the State’s Attorney.
"The BBHD does not have the ability to shut down the plant, but if the situation does not improve, the BBHD may pursue a court order for injunctive relief," Ainsworth said.
Local
NBC CT Responds reached out to Reworld, and they shared the following statement:
"During the past year, Reworld has undertaken extensive efforts to reduce noise at our Bristol plant, including replacing fan motors to synchronize fan speeds and subsequently installing new 'Quiet Fan Technology' to further reduce sound. After these upgrades, an independent consultant found that the changes brought noise levels down below the standards set forth in the City of Bristol Code of Ordinances and state regulations.
More recently, the installation of new inserts for two boilers was completed just over the past week alone, with work being done as recently as today. The BBHD has not made us aware of any testing it performed in December; however, given that additional sound abatement activity took place after their latest testing, we hope they share any such data so that it can be evaluated alongside our continuing work and monitoring.
Reworld has served the Bristol community with important sustainable waste solutions for over 35 years and employs more than 40 local employees. We remain committed to working with the town, the BBHD, and the community to evaluate noise and ensure we are addressing every concern."
