A property that has been an environmental hazard for decades in Pocono Township, Monroe County, has finally been torn down thanks to the persistence of DEP Solid Waste Management staff who work in the department's Bethlehem District Office.

Contaminants such as old paint, construction and demolition debris, oil and other trash, were buried on a property located on Sullivan Trail since the 1990s.  The house was condemned the owners refused to clean up the mess.  DEP tried for years to gain access to the property but the owners wouldn't cooperate.  A new owner purchased the property last year, but again, would not allow DEP on the land.

A court order from Monroe County Court finally gave DEP access to the site. Thanks to the hard work of Environmental Specialist Meg Boyer and Environmental Compliance Specialist Jim Kunkle, a contractor was able to move in with a dozer last month and knock the house down.  He also hauled away 116.5 tons of contaminated demolition debris.

The clean-up work was necessary, not just to preserve the land, but to prevent soil erosion from contaminating nearby Dry Sawmill Run, a high-quality creek that runs near the property.

(Reprinted from the April 16 DEP News.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

4/20/2015