MERRIMACK – Rock blasting is set to resume Monday afternoon at Merrimack Premium Outlets, the large-scale outlet mall under construction off Exit 10 of the F.E. Everett Turnpike.
Blasting crews suspended work earlier this month after waters tests showed elevated levels of nitrates in surface water around the site. The initial tests, recorded in late September and early October, showed nitrate levels nearly twice the amount permitted for the project. But more recent tests showed the levels returning closer to normal, and town officials decided Friday to allow blasting to resume on a portion of the construction site.
Fire Chief Michael Currier issued a blasting permit Monday morning, and crews were expected to conduct a blast at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, said Tim Thompson, the town’s community development director.
Heavy rains over the last month likely contributed to the high nitrate levels, Thompson and company officials said last week.
After a major rainstorm on Oct. 4, representatives from Emery and Garrett Groundwater, the town’s water consultant, noticed a breach in a trench that allowed rainwater to reach a nearby wellhead protection area.
This water, which likely picked up nitrates as it flowed downhill, probably contributed to the raised levels within the protection area, according to Premium Outlets officials and representatives from the Merrimack Village District, the town’s water provider.
Under the town permit, crews can resume blasting Monday around the wellhead, but town officials are still waiting for further test results before they allow blasting to resume within the protected area.
The test results won’t be available until Tuesday at the earliest, town officials have said. Blasting crews had expected to complete the work Tuesday, but they will likely have to continue several more days, at least.
The stoppage marks the fourth time town officials have suspended blasting at the controversial mall since work began last fall.
Blasting crews were forced to stop three times over the winter after they exceeded permitted noise and vibration levels.
The delays won’t affect the opening date for the mall, developers have said. They still expect the 130-store outlets to open during the spring or summer of 2012.
When it’s complete, the $100 million project is expected to include 100 high-end retail stores. It’s projected to generate more than $140 million in retail sales each year and to create as many as 800 full- and part-time retail jobs.
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