LEED Renovation at State Lab

MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles announced the Lab’s $22 million expansion and renovation project during groundbreaking ceremonies at the Lawrence facility in November. They were joined by EPA Region 1-New England Administrator Robert Varney, State Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) Commissioner David Perini, Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust Executive Director Scott Jordan, Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, and State Representatives Barry Finegold, David Torrisi, and William Lantigua.

The LEED upgrades will include the use of photo-voltaic cells as a solar energy source; a super-efficient Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system to save up to 40 percent on heating and cooling costs; rain gardens for better management of stormwater; rainwater recycling for non-potable uses and irrigation; large windows that will allow the sun to provide light and heat; installation of a “green roof” on a portion of the building; and a set-aside for plug-in hybrid vehicle parking spaces.

The Wall Experiment Station is Massachusetts’ principal drinking water laboratory, and the facility annually performs 10,000 lab analyses of contaminants in water, wastewater, air, soil, hazardous wastes, fish, and other samples. The facility also certifies more than 150 commercial and municipal labs for compliance analysis of both potable and non-potable water.

The first phase of the project involves a $16 million facility expansion, utilizing funds approved by the Massachusetts Legislature. Funding is also being provided by EPA through the State Drinking Water Revolving Fund. The second phase – to be funded through the Environmental Bond Bill – will involve a $6 million renovation of the existing lab.