Huntington Sanitary Board working with state to clean up site

The Huntington Sanitary Board is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to address environmental conditions associated with a former ash pond located at 300 Sunset Dr., in Wayne County. The site is comprised of approximately 6.5 acres, which is currently unoccupied and undeveloped.

Through a Voluntary Remediation Agreement with the state, the Sanitary Board is working with the DEP in an effort to address environmental conditions at the site associated most recently with ash disposal from the incineration of sewage sludge and from prior usages as farm land and a golf course. Chemicals of concern include metals and semi-volatile organic compounds.

The approved cleanup method to make sure the site meets applicable standards consists of the following actions. A combination of both institutional and engineering controls has been selected as the remedy to achieve cost-effective protection of human health and the environment. The property will be restricted to non-residential uses. The specified areas associated with the former ash pond will have limitations on excavation and drilling. A final report will be submitted to the DEP’s Office of Environmental Remediation for review to confirm that the work meets all applicable remediation standards.

The DEP’s Voluntary Program encourages voluntary clean-ups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopments of abandoned and under-utilized properties in the hope of counteracting the lack of growth on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. The Voluntary Program seeks to identify and address potential contamination at a given site. It also sets applicable remediation standards and confirms that the site maintains these standards.

As long as an applicant is following all the rules and regulations of the Voluntary Program, typical DEP enforcement actions, as well as liability under environmental laws, will be limited while the applicant cleans up a site. The Voluntary Program also gives applicants the ability to redevelop sites with existing industrial infrastructure at a lower price, and provides financial incentives to invest in Brownfields.

For more information contact either: Bin Z. Schmitz, Project Manager; WVDEP, Division of Land Restoration (DLR)/OER, 601 57th St., Charleston, WV 25304 (304) 926-0499, Ext. 1286; or, Dennis L. Litwinowicz. Project Manager/LRS; Potesta & Associates, Inc., 7012 MacCorkle Ave., SE, Charleston, WV 25304; (304) 342-1400.