Plans in place to remediate Benwood property

DBMFI, LLC is working with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to remediate property located at 207 Marshall St. in Benwood.

DBMFI has entered 0.75 acres of the property into the DEP’s Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP). DBMFI is working with the DEP’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) to address environmental conditions at the site associated with the historical use of the property as a coal yard and asphalt company. A fast food restaurant and associated parking lot are currently located at the site.

The OER’s voluntary remediation agreement with DBMFI includes provisions for identifying human health and ecological risks associated with potential future uses of the site in order to establish appropriate cleanup standards. A final report will be submitted to the OER for review to confirm that the work meets all applicable remediation standards.

The OER encourages voluntary clean-ups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties, in the hope of counteracting the lack of growth on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. The OER sets applicable remediation standards and confirms that the site maintains these standards.

Typical DEP enforcement actions, as well as liability under environmental laws, are limited while sites are being remediated. The Voluntary Remediation Program gives developers the ability to redevelop sites with existing industrial infrastructure at a lower price, and provides financial incentives to invest in Brownfields.
 
Questions may be directed to either Jim Gaston, WVDEP-OER, 131-A Peninsula Street, Wheeling, WV (304) 238-1220 ext. 3515; or Dan Wilhelm, Licensed Remediation Specialist, Geo-Technology Associates, Inc., 43760 Trade Center Place, Suite 110, Sterling, VA 20166, (703) 478-0055.