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County hears update on near‑complete solar plant; contractors to handle panel fire and soil testing
Summary
County heard that construction of a local solar (UV) project is largely complete and that commissioning is underway; a recent staging fire prompted soil sampling and planned cleanup by third‑party contractors (Clean Harbors and Solar Cycle were named) once lab results dictate handling and destination for waste.
A project representative told the Dolores County Board of County Commissioners that construction of the local solar (UV) plant is largely complete and crews are focused on commissioning and energization.
"Construction is pretty much complete," the project representative said, and staff expected Tri‑State to make final substation connections and to energize lines imminently. The representative said site staff had dwindled from several dozen down to a small commissioning crew as deliveries and major installations concluded.
Commissioners and county public health staff pressed project personnel on a recent fire that burned some panels or staging material. Julie, the county environmental health staff member, asked whether panel chemistry posed risks — specifically whether the modules involved contained cadmium telluride — and whether runoff reached surrounding fields after recent rains. Project staff said, based on their field knowledge, that the burned modules were not the cadmium‑telluride type and that silt fences and waddles held during the rain event. They said third‑party environmental testing is underway and that the county would receive testing summaries when results are complete.
Project staff named Clean Harbors and a contractor called Solar Cycle as the primary cleanup contractors under consideration and said they were targeting the week of the 29th for cleanup work, with an estimated two‑week duration. They also said final destinations for recovered materials and any contaminated soil will depend on test results and contractor plans; all waste will be tracked with documentation.
County public health requested an opportunity to attend cleanup planning and for testing summaries to be shared publicly; project staff agreed to provide summaries and brief county staff when sampling is complete.
Ending: County staff will receive testing summaries from the third‑party laboratory and be invited to site briefings; the board asked staff to keep the public informed about sampling results and cleanup timing.
