Halting Landfill Contamination
Woburn, MA, a town that experienced severe drinking water contamination in the 1980s, recently faced another environmental hazard. A couple from the town noticed a dormant landfill had been reopened. City officials were not offering answers, so the couple used state Freedom of Information (FOI) laws to uncover information about the plans for the landfill. They discovered that public officials had been planning the landfill's expansion with no public input. The town was not alerted to any environmental or health impacts from the landfill, which resides on top of a watershed and has no protective lining on its bottom.The couple reached out to the community, educating them with the information they obtained from under FOI laws. Facing pressure, the town discarded plans for the landfill and shut it down.
To read the full story, click for Parade Magazine's article "How They Uncovered The Truth".