UMass geothermal power project alarms residents

An artist’s conception shows the new Sustainable Engineering Labs at UMass, due to be completed by the summer of 2026, one of the two camous buildings that will nbe powered an array of geothermal wells.

An artist’s conception shows the new Sustainable Engineering Labs at UMass, due to be completed by the summer of 2026, one of the two camous buildings that will nbe powered an array of geothermal wells. CONTRIBUTED

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 10-21-2024 12:06 PM

AMHERST — Drilling of geothermal wells in Lot 31 off Governors Drive is set to begin next month at the University of Massachusetts, a project that will allow two large classroom buildings under construction to be powered by renewable energy when they open in 2026, part of a continuing effort to make the campus carbon-neutral.

For residents who live in the Farview neighborhood immediately to the east of the proposed geothermal project site, though, there is concern that the work will cause significant noise through next May as the project’s 70 wells are each drilled to a depth of 800 feet.

While the Office of Community Relations presented information and answered questions about the geothermal project and other campus developments during a community meeting at the Old Chapel on Thursday, the many unanswered questions about the green energy initiative are troubling for residents given the proximity of their homes and a pollinator garden.

“UMass seems to see their responsibility to the neighborhood as merely one of notification, and with not much notice, rather than actually seeking community input and allowing a genuine back-and-forth, informing us of projects well in advance and trying to address our concerns,” Josna Rege, of Farview Way, wrote in an email.

Rege said there is particular concern for the homeowners at the end of Fairfield Street and along Moorland Street, with the parking lot not far from their backyards, over noise and potential vibrations from the work, especially when hitting bedrock.

Sound measurements provided by UMass, based on tests, indicated that the noise volume would be similar to a person’s normal speaking voice.

“We found that hard to believe, especially since one of our neighbors had recently had just one geothermal well of half the depth drilled in her yard, and we all heard that loud and clear for two days,” Rege said.

At the meeting, there were some calls from the 11 residents in attendance for UMass to halt the geothermal wells plan, and move it farther to the west, to Lot 26. Neighbors also sought more precise information about when the work will be happening, including the specific hours contractors will be on scene, observing that with some ongoing projects work starts at 6:30 a.m.

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Tony Maroulis, executive director of community and strategic initiatives at UMass, told residents that the university is trying to be fully transparent about all the projects.

The project to develop the energy exchange center for a ground source heat pump and thermal energy storage needs to be up and running by the summer of 2026, when the two buildings that it will serve, the 94,300-square-foot Computer Science Building along Governors Drive and the 78,000-square-foot Sustainable Engineering Laboratories next to Stockbridge Hall are complete.

In planning, UMass did test drilling at various sites and identified Lot 31 as being the right size for the project, said David Dower, executive director of Campus Development.

The Computer Science Building and the under-construction Public Health and Health Sciences building going up at the corner of North Pleasant Street and Eastman Lane are also of concern to the neighborhood due to how close that work is to homes.

Meanwhile, the Amherst Conservation Commission began a review of the university’s notice of intent filing for the geothermal project on Oct. 9, with the hearing to be continued on Oct. 23.

Jason Venditti, project executive for Facilities and Campus Services, said the notice of intent filing follows a long and extensive study of mitigating the campus’s carbon footprint and having UMass move forward as a steward of environmental causes.

“A great location, within the footprint of the parking lot is where we’re proposing to do the work,” Venditti said.

The existing traffic islands in Lot 31 will removed, increasing the impervious surface. But Venditti said the project will protect nearby wetlands, which are actually in Hadley.