FirstLight Statement on Turners Falls Bascule Gate System Incident

Northfield, MA – June 4, 2025 – On the evening of Tuesday, June 3rd, FirstLight team members observed a sudden loss of hydraulic pressure in the Turners Falls Dam Bascule Gate system. FirstLight personnel responded immediately and observed an oil sheen below the dam and swiftly began emergency response actions. FirstLight notified the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and they were onsite today alongside FirstLight personnel, Health, Safety and Environment professionals, and our Licensed Site Professional, to further assess the situation and provide support and counsel in the response and plans for repairs.

Preliminary estimates suggest a release of about 300-gallons of hydraulic fluid occurred from a sudden failure in the hydraulic system that supports the pistons below Bascule Gate 2. FirstLight personnel have been able to inspect Bascule Gates 1, 3 and 4 and confirmed they are working as intended. At this time, the system has been stabilized, and there are no indications of an ongoing release of hydraulic fluid. The investigation is ongoing, and upon identification of the root cause, FirstLight and advising agencies and experts will establish and execute a final resolution. FirstLight’s team is deploying absorbent booms in areas where a sheen is observed in the water and will actively monitor the area until the issue is fully resolved.

We note that initial indications suggest that this issue is likely due to the failure of a hydraulic system component and is not related to past issues with seepage from the Bascule Gate system that had been tied to aging pistons. Still, we continue to be on track to begin an overhaul of the bascule gate system this summer, a project we committed to in 2023 after previous remedial efforts failed to meet our expectations.

FirstLight reiterates that any release of oil to the river is unacceptable, and we take full responsibility for the swift and thorough resolution of this issue.

We will provide updates as we have them and thank the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for their advice and support as we investigate and seek to fully resolve this issue.