Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Contractor says pickling plant cleanup will be finished this month; DEQ coordinated final steps
Summary
UMD contractor Robert Smith told the Durant Industrial Authority the remaining work at the pickling plant site is ready to be removed and that the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has approved the plan to close out the site pending final documentation.
A contractor working at the former pickling plant site told the Durant Industrial Authority on Tuesday that the cleanup should be completed this month after years of remediation work.
Robert Smith, with UMD, said the company received direction from city staff last month on handling the last bit of waste at the site and subsequently contacted the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Smith said DEQ assigned a new contact after the prior official went on maternity leave and has now approved moving forward with final removal work.
Smith described the remaining material and the disposition plan: steel tanks have been cleaned and rinsed, and the remaining non-hazardous sludge and materials will be sent to landfill. He recommended one large poly tank, in good condition and estimated to have a probable value of $30,000–$40,000, remain on site until a purchaser for the building is identified. “It's in excellent condition. It probably needs to stay in that building until you find a purchaser for the building,” Smith said.
Trustees and staff discussed whether the tank should be removed; Smith said it could be hauled to landfill if the authority prefers. He said the most significant remediation was completed years ago following a tank rupture that released sulfuric acid, and that this final work should allow the city to close the file with DEQ. Smith said UMD will send the city and DEQ a letter confirming the site is cleared and the remaining items have been removed.
Chairman Rogers thanked UMD for closing out the long-running project. Trustees did not vote on additional cleanup expenditures during the meeting; Smith said the contractor has honored 2023 pricing and that earlier approaches avoided significantly higher estimated costs.
