jiffy mart disc

After years of disgust, it appears as though the old junk yard on West Main may turn into something good.
junk2Representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are scheduling a meeting Oct. 8 to discuss the plans for the land.
Residents in a half-mile radius of the site have been invited to attend that meeting at the civic center at 6:30 p.m. Representatives from both DEQ and EPA will be on hand to discuss the plans for cleanup as well as answer questions.
The junk yard has been operating for over seven decades and gone through a series of owners. During that time, the land has become contaminated with arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, lead and cancer-causing PCBs.
In 2008, the city had EPA perform an environmental assessment. That resulted in discovery that electrical transformers had their PCB-containing oils spilled on the ground. Two years later, a radiation survey was conducted by ODEQ and material identified as naturally occurring radiation was found. Drums containing the material was removed in 2011. junk1
As late as 2017, soil sampling as taken with elevated concentrations of heavy metals and PCB concentrations were found both on the south side of Main Street and on private property. That resulted in about 18 inches of soil being removed and replaced with non-polluted dirt and grass. It is believed that pollution came from water runoff from the site.
City officials said the initial plans call for the property on both sides of Main Street to be cleaned up and turned over to the city for use as a park.

 

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