DEP Completes Beaver County Waste Tire Pile Cleanup

The Department of Environmental Protection Friday announced the completion of a priority cleanup of the former Jake Ours Family Junkyard abandoned tire pile in Rochester Township, Beaver County, which was estimated to have held more than 50,000 truck and bus tires.
           "The remediation of this junkyard has eliminated potential health and environmental hazards that have existed for nearly three decades," Secretary Mike Krancer said. "These sites are not only an eyesore, but also a breeding ground for mosquitos and a potential fire hazard."
            While the total amount of tires located throughout the site was estimated at 50,000, the total weight of material removed exceeded 800 tons, a much higher volume than DEP's original estimate, since the majority of the tires had the steel wheels intact.
            This site cleanup, one of the top-ranked sites on DEP's Priority Abandoned Tire Pile list, marks the first of this magnitude in more than five years.
            Remediation activities, completed by lowest bidder Magnum Industries of Northern Cambria, Cambria County, took about 30 days.
            The Waste Tire Recycling Act renews DEP's efforts to remediate problem abandoned tire piles throughout the state. The Act provides an annual allocation of $1.25 million over four consecutive years for DEP to use toward the remediation of priority abandoned scrap tire piles.
            For more information, visit DEP's Waste Tire Program webpage.  For information on how you can prevent illegal dumping in your community, visit the Keep PA Beautiful website.


10/10/2011

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