[yahoo.com – 2026.07.21] A property owner has been fined $33,000 by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
MassDEP fined Chang Hui Nam for violating state cleanup regulations at the location of the former Kim’s Tailor & Dry Cleaners, 12 Beanes Lane in Northbridge.
According to the MassDEP, Nam, the property owner, failed to address a suspected release of dry-cleaning solvents into groundwater in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood.
MassDEP also found low concentrations of dry-cleaning chemicals in indoor air samples collected from nearby residential buildings.
Despite repeated formal notices, Nam failed to hire a licensed site professional or take appropriate steps to assess and remediate contamination believed to have originated from the property’s former dry-cleaning operation, MassDEP said.
“Property owners who are notified of a suspected release of hazardous material at their site must take timely action to engage a licensed site professional, assess contamination and related risk to the public and the environment, and develop a cleanup plan if one is needed,” saidJohn Beling, regional director of the MassDEP’s regional office in Worcester, said in a statement. “Failure to do so may result in enforcement action including possible fines and penalties.”
According to the MassDEP, primary operations on the property are pressing and tailoring. Any dry-cleaning services are subcontracted off-site. All on-site dry-cleaning equipment was removed after Nam purchased the property in November 2011. MassDEP verified its removal during a January 2017 inspection.
MassDEP has cited Nam, the property owner, not any current business. There is no knownactive release. A historical release at the site has not been addressed under Massachusetts’ waste site cleanup regulations, MassDEP said.
In addition to the $33,000 penalty, Nam is required to hire a licensed site professional and submit required documents for the assessment and cleanup of the site.
MassDEP said several attempts to contact the owner, including translated letters, have gone unanswered. The Telegram & Gazette was also unsuccessful attempting to contact Nam.
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