On March 11, Mountain Watershed Association and Yukon community members announced they will install two informational warning signs on the banks of Sewickley Creek in Westmoreland County near the permitted discharge point of MAX Environmental Technologies Landfill #6 on March 16 at 11:00 a.m. (Google Maps location).

The signs will be placed at the outfall and downstream of it, detailing several hazardous chemicals, including arsenic, lead, cyanide, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium, that are permitted for discharge there.

MAX Environmental’s Yukon plant is the only facility in Pennsylvania that offers permitted RCRA Subtitle C (hazardous) waste treatment.

The facility’s residual waste landfill is permitted to accept a wide range of materials from energy, construction, and manufacturing industries, as well as from metal contaminated waste site cleanups.

This facility has a long history of compliance violations, including improper handling of hazardous waste, unlawful solid waste dumping and leaking containment boxes.

From January 2007 to August 2019, MAX was out of compliance with their water discharge permit for 1,846 days, exceeding the recommended amounts for fecal coliform, ammonia, chlorine and more.

Sewickley Creek is a popular place for residents of Yukon and nearby communities to recreate, pursuing on-water activities like boating and fishing.

The creek runs around the town, past Yukon Lions Park, which has a ballfield and kayak launch, and ultimately into the Youghiogheny River.

Community organizers from the Mountain Watershed Association, which has been holding monthly community meetings in Yukon, suggested that a sign be placed near the discharge to inform residents of potential chemical hazards there.

“Yukon area residents have been involuntarily exposed to hazardous waste in their backyards for decades,” says Stacey Magda, Managing Organizer for MWA. “For far too long those who live near MAX Environmental have been left in the dark regarding compliance issues and just what is looming beyond the chain link fences, in the leachate, in the air, and in their waterways. Their concerns have not been taken seriously. MWA has been working to support those individuals to ensure their voices are heard and they are aware of what their rights are. Considering the severity of issues noted in recent Notice of Violations from the EPA and DEP these signs are a small step in the right direction to ensure that residents of Yukon and users of Sewickley Creek are educated and aware of potential hazards in Sewickley Creek.”

To install the signs, MWA embarked on the daunting task of convincing Sewickley Township supervisors to change the township’s sign ordinance.

Ultimately, with the help of committed community members and Sewickley Township staff and supervisors, the signage was approved for installation.

MWA organizers and community members will gather on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. along Creek Road, Sewickley Township to install signs and remark on their significance to Yukon as a whole.

Visit the Mountain Watershed Association website for more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can be involved.

Questions should be directed to Stacey Magda, Managing Organizer, Mountain Watershed Association, stacey@mtwatershed.com or call 724-455-4200 x9 and James Cato, Regional Organizer, Mountain Watershed Association, james@mtwatershed.com or call 724-455-4200 x10.

NewsClip:

-- TribLive: Signs Warn Sewickley Creek Users In Yukon Of Possible Pollution From MAX Environmental Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility In Westmoreland County

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[Posted: March 12, 2024]

3/18/2024