Envirosafe hazardous waste landfill, Oregon
For more information, contact Sandy Bihn, (419) 691-3788.
Oregon, Ohio, lies just to the east of the Maumee River; to the west is Toledo. 19,000 people live in Oregon, alongside the Envirosafe hazardous waste dump, Sun Oil refinery, BP Amoco oil refinery, and FirstEnergy's Bayshore coal plant.
TOLEDO -- "Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann is doing something his predecessor, Jim Petro, didn't do: Require Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. to disclose details about its ownership. The company's attorney, Richard Sargeant, acknowledged he is in receipt of a letter dated last Friday in which Mr. Dann revealed he would not waive such disclosure requirements. Both Mr. Sargeant and Doug Roberts, Envirosafe president, said they were unsure if the company would appeal. Envirosafe operates Ohio's only commercially operated hazardous waste landfill. It is along Otter Creek and Cedar Point roads in Oregon," Tom Henry, Toledo Blade. Published April 10.
DEFIANCE -- "Defiance County continues to be among the top 20 counties in Ohio with the highest amount of toxic emissions. Toxic emission rates for the state, reported last week by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, were based on toxic chemicals released by 1,604 facilities in 2005... The greatest increase was for land on-site releases, which rose by 12.8 million pounds. Large increases were reported by Envirosafe and Millenium Chemical along with substantial increases in power plant releases," Heather Baughman, Crescent News.
Head of Ohio agency writes Oregon mayor
OREGON -- "Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. must fund leachate removal from its former Fondessy pits well beyond the next 18 years, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's director said in a letter to Oregon officials that was released this week. The company's landfill in Oregon is Ohio's only one with a commercial license to accept hazardous waste," Toledo Blade.
Town wants more bankrolled to maintain site after it closes
OREGON -- "Barring another extension, Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. can't accept hazardous waste past Dec. 29, 2015, at the landfill it operates at Otter Creek and Cedar Point roads in Oregon. Not so clear is whether Envirosafe has bankrolled enough money to keep its facility from polluting water that flows into western Lake Erie's ecologically sensitive Maumee Bay," Tom Henry, Toledo Blade. published November 6, 2006.
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Results from lab raise questions
OREGON -- "Under the best-case scenario, the full report - including an assessment of any health risks - would be submitted by the summer of 2007, said Lynn Ackerson, Ohio EPA project coordinator. She said BEC strayed from protocol with tests for polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, and various forms of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Both are hazardous industrial pollutants. The dumps in question are on the north side of Envirosafe's property, built long before the era of modern solid waste laws. The Fondessy pits were dug starting in 1954 and closed off when Envirosafe bought the site in 1983," Tom Henry, Toledo Blade.
TOLEDO -- "Built long before the modern era of solid waste laws, the Oregon landfills operated by the former Fondessy Enterprises Inc. are a throwback to another era. Now, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has come up with a new plan to minimize the risk posed by them to local groundwater supplies. The state agency yesterday opened a public comment period on its plan to have Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. spend unknown millions to fortify old caps over four of the Fondessy landfill cells as well as stabilize two oil ponds," Tom Henry, Toledo Blade.
Jan 5, 2006: Oregon
landfill's license is extended
State EPA grants Envirosafe 10 years
OREGON -- "Ohio's only landfill with a commercial license to bury
hazardous waste will be able to keep its gates open through at least the
end of 2015. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency granted Envirosafe
Services of Ohio Inc. a 10-year renewal to its operating permit for its
landfill off Otter Creek Road in Oregon on Dec. 29, although it announced
the long-awaited decision yesterday... Some Oregon officials, who admittedly
soured on Envirosafe years ago, fumed when told of the permit renewal.
'Nothing surprises me with the Ohio EPA and the Taft Administration on
this particular issue,' Mike Sheehy, council president, said. 'It's been
a long, hard fight,'" Tom Henry, Toledo Blade.
Oct 5:
County suing Envirosafe to identify landfill's owner
TOLEDO -- "The county prosecutor filed a complaint in Lucas County
Common Pleas Court yesterday asking a judge to force Envirosafe Services
of Ohio Inc. to identify the owner of its Oregon landfill and to operate
within the law. Concerned that the landfill has been leaking contaminants
- an accusation the company has denied - the county is filing the suit
to abate the alleged violations," Erica Blake, Toledo Blade.
Sep 21:
State OKs coke plant, increased Envirosafe waste
TOLEDO -- "U.S. Coking Group got authorization yesterday to build
the latest version of its proposed FDS Coke Plant along Lake Erie's Maumee
Bay, while Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. got a green light to pile
electric arc furnace dust 74 feet higher at its hazardous waste landfill
in Oregon. The two permits were issued separately by the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency, which also announced that it will take comments on
plans to fill 0.69 acres of a wetland for the coke project. Comments on
the wetland project will be accepted by the Ohio EPA at a public hearing
at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at Oregon City Hall, 5330 Seaman Rd. The agency also
will take them in writing through Oct. 11," Tom Henry, Toledo
Blade.
OREGON -- "Oregon
officials and residents told Ohio officials the hazardous waste landfill
in the city should not be expanded, but they don't expect anyone to listen.
Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. is seeking to expand its active waste cell
and to extend the facility's operation by 10 years. Draft permits for the
proposals were issued by the Ohio and U.S. environmental protection agencies
in mid-May. At last night's public hearing at Oregon city hall, citizens
and city officials cited problems including the landfill's proximity to
Toledo water lines and Lake Erie, contamination from other parts of the
landfill that spread more quickly than expected, and problems with the cell
liner and collapsed leachate pipes. 'I don't know why they're still in operation,'said
Joanne Schiavone of Walbridge who, like many area residents, has been fighting
against the landfill for years," Toledo Blade.
OREGON -- "The Ohio and U.S. Environmental Protection agencies have issued draft permits that
would allow an Oregon hazardous waste landfill to more than double the height
of its active waste cell to 120 feet. Some residents feel that Ohio EPA
officials always sides with the company, ignoring public comments because
they already have made up their mind, said East Toledo resident Judy Junga,
who has campaigned against Envirosafe for years. She said the state never
should have allowed a hazardous waste facility to be built near Toledo's
waterlines or the creeks that run to Lake Erie," Elizabeth A. Shack, Toledo
Blade.
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Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro, who must not expect serious opposition in his run for governor next year. Petro's Envirosafe decision would be raw meat to a serious opponent.
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- Envirosafe is not the only high-risk company in Oregon, Ohio, protected by the government from disclosing who owns it. The owners of the proposed U.S. Coking Group plant also refuse to identify themselves.
New plant could hire about 100 employees
OREGON -- "ZincOx
Resources Plc., a United Kingdom-based company, recently discussed its plans
to possibly build a plant with officials from the Ohio Environmental Protection
Agency, said Eric Getz, assistant chief at the Ohio EPA's northwest district
office. The zinc oxide recovery plant could be built on 20 acres owned by
Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. ZincOx officials entered into an agreement
with Envirosafe to complete a comprehensive feasibility study to develop
the new plant, which would extract zinc and other components - including
copper and lead - from the electric arc furnace dust that is collected in
the air-pollution control systems of steel 'minimills'and dumped at Envirosafe.
The extracted zinc would be sold as a commodity, Mr. Getz said. About 80
percent of the waste in Cell M is electric arc furnace dust, of which 5
percent to 30 percent is zinc, Mr. Getz said. 'According to the information
that they've provided, Envirosafe would be a great source of electric arc
furnace dust,' he said," Toledo Blade.OREGON -- "Oregon City Council on Monday will consider rehiring two consultants to review Envirosafe's amended expansion plans designed by Mannik & Smith, the hazardous waste facility's engineers. The Ohio EPA had planned on issuing a draft permit on the expansion request in January. It is being held up by the Ohio attorney general's office, which has been seeking information on Envirosafe's ownership for the past three years. Envirosafe has requested a waiver to avoid providing the information sought by the attorney general. The landfill has been a concern of environmentalists since it was constructed in the early 90s because it's two miles from Lake Erie, and Toledo's water lines run through the property," Kelly J. Kaczala, Eastern Maumee Bay Press.
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OREGON -- "Though Envirosafe officials have revised the expansion design of their active waste pit to increase safety, Oregon officials said they won't be revising their position on the expansion. 'We're all pretty much in agreement about the expansion,' Oregon Mayor Marge Brown said. 'The city's position is still the same as it's always been. We really don't want to see it happen,'" Erika Ray, Toledo Blade.
The yellow area is Cell M at Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. (ESOI) hazardous waste landfill.
OREGON -- "If officials from the Envirosafe hazardous waste landfill in Oregon still want to increase the height of their active-waste pit, they will have to revise their design to increase safety for slope stability. Envirosafe initially asked the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in January, 2003, for permission to increase the height of Cell M, the active landfill cell south of York Street, by 70 feet. If approved, the total height of Cell M would increase to about 120 feet. . . Oregon City Council has been opposed to the expansion since it was first proposed, and hired two consultants to review the design last year. Officials from Arcadis, a consulting engineering firm, told council in December that the slope stability design of Cell M falls below the Ohio EPA desired factor of safety. The Arcadis report was sent to the Ohio EPA last month," Toledo Blade.
COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Attorney General's Office is using a secrecy provision to try to get more details about ownership of the Envirosafe hazardous waste landfill in Oregon. Yesterday, the state sent an "investigative demand" letter to the attorney representing Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc., asking for documents and financial statements about its corporate structure and records on Envirosafe's net worth back to 2001. . . . Michelle Gatchell, a spokesman for Attorney General Jim Petro, said information provided by Envirosafe in response to the "investigative demand" would not be available to citizens under the state public records law," James Drew, Toledo Blade.
OREGON -- "While waiting to see if a state permit will be issued this month allowing an active Envirosafe hazardous waste landfill in Oregon to expand, consultants reviewing the design have criticized its safety. Oregon hired Arcadis FPS Inc. in November, 2004, for $17,000 to review the proposal of Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. to vertically expand Cell M, the active landfill cell south of York Street. Envirosafe initially asked the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in January, 2003, for permission to increase the height of the active-waste pit by 70 feet. If approved, the total height of Cell M would increase to about 120 feet. Officials from Arcadis, a consulting engineering firm, told Oregon officials last month that the slope stability design of Cell M falls below the Ohio EPA prescribed factors of safety," Erika Ray, Toledo Blade.
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OREGON
-- "A long-time opponent of Envirosafe, a hazardous waste facility on Otter
Creek Road, requested copies of public records that document communications
between the city and company on its proposed landfill expansion. Joann Schiavone
requested the information during a tense hour long exchange with city officials
at a council meeting Monday. Schiavone is seeking records because she believes
the city suppressed reports of two consultants hired last year to review
the proposed expansion, she later said to The Press. The Ohio EPA, which
has said that slope stability is 'a major consideration in evaluating the
permit modification,' just received copies of the reports about two weeks
ago. It expects to decide on the permit modification this month," Kelly
J. Kaczala, Eastern Maumee Bay Press.| OREGON -- "A
professor from Ohio State University, hired by the city last June
to evaluate Envirosafe's design plans to expand Cell M, found problems
with the safety of the hazardous waste landfill's side slopes. Dr.
Charles Moore last fall issued a report that was critical of the slope's
stability, The Press has learned. Moore is one of two consultants
hired by the city last year who raise concerns about the safety of
the cell's side slopes and leachate collection pipes. The reports
are significant because a decision by the Ohio EPA on whether to grant
Envirosafe the permit modification is imminent. They are sure to raise
the ire of environmental activists. Built in 1991, the cell is only
two miles south of Lake Erie, and near Toledo's two raw water lines,"
Kelly J. Kaczala, Eastern Maumee Bay Press. |
 Dr. Charles A. Moore, Ohio State university. |
OREGON -- "In 1996, when benzene, a carcinogen, was detected in the soil and ground water at Envirosafe's old waste site, many feared the worst. Two of Toledo's water lines run through the hazardous waste site on Otter Creek Road, which is just two miles south of Lake Erie. Where was the waste coming from, and how far had it spread?" Kelly J. Kaczala, Eastern Maumee Bay Press.
OREGON -- The treatment process from start to finish, J. Patrick Eaken, Eastern Maumee Bay Press.
TOLEDO -- "The concern now is that Envirosafe's proposed Cell M enlargement 'might' endanger Lake Erie at some unforeseeable time. There are worries of leaks, and indeed, more than a decade ago there were benzene leaks at the facility, but not from Cell M. . . Councilman Pete Gerken revives an old issue when he notes that the cell sits near Toledo's water lines. Well, that's been true for a very long time," editorial, Toledo Blade.
Council resolution says landfill expansion could hurt Lake Erie
TOLEDO -- "Paul Goldberg, Oregon law director, and Tom Hays, assistant law director, attended Toledo's council meeting. They said it would help Oregon's appeal to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to defeat the application. 'It puts pressure on the Ohio EPA. The Ohio EPA makes the decision on this,' Mr. Goldberg said," Toledo Blade.
OREGON -- "Envirosafe found toluene in a shallow till monitoring well last September, a month before the toxic chemical was detected a quarter of a mile away in a deep bedrock well. Last week, The Press reported that sampling results of well R-16, which reaches into the bedrock aquifer at Envirosafe's Northern Sanitary landfill, detected toluene, a toxic chemical obtained from petroleum or coal tar used as a solvent in lacquers and high-octane fuels. Doug Roberts, president of Envirosafe, believes an equipment refueling operation contaminated the sample from R-16. He also said it was the first confirmed detection of toluene in the 117 wells that ring the perimeter of the hazardous waste landfill. But the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told The Press last week that toluene was detected in shallow till well MR-4S at the southern tip of the Millard Avenue landfill, one month before it was found in the deep bedrock well at the Northern Sanitary landfill last year," Kelly J. Kaczala, Maumee Bay Press.
OREGON -- Envirosafe frowns on radioactive waste, Kelly J. Kaczala, Maumee Bay Press.
OREGON -- "Samples taken from a deep groundwater monitoring well at the Envirosafe Services of Ohio, Inc., landfill in Oregon showed levels of toluene, a hazardous chemical, according to documents obtained yesterday by The Blade. The detection marks the first time any contaminant has been found in samples taken from a well that reaches into the bedrock aquifer, where groundwater is found, said Dina Pierce, an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency spokesman. . . .Short-term exposure to toluene can cause minor nervous system disorders such as nausea, fatigue, weakness, and confusion. Long-term exposure can cause more pronounced nervous disorders such as spasms, speech impairment, and tremors, as well as liver and kidney damage, the EPA said," Ignazio Messina, Toledo Blade.
OREGON - Toluene found in bedrock well at Envirosafe, Kelly J. Kaczala, Maumee Bay Press.
OREGON -- "Oregon City Council will hold a public hearing Monday night to air local concerns about the Envirosafe hazardous waste landfill, then follow with its own discussion about trying to reclaim city zoning authority over such facilities. . . . Besides discussing Envirosafe’s plans to expand its landfill, the only active hazardous-waste disposal site in Ohio, the hearing will be a forum to talk about groundwater safety and a new federal proposal that might allow disposal sites for low-level radioactive waste in communities like Oregon. 'We have to get our message out,' Councilman James Seaman said. 'We feel it's unsafe. We have children and grandchildren in this community, and it’s too close to Lake Erie,'" Toledo Blade.
OREGON -- Envirosafe fined by U.S. agency; OSHA cites exposure to hazardous dust at landfill, Toledo Blade. "A hazardous waste landfill in Oregon operated by Envirosafe of Ohio Inc. has been cited and fined $127,000 for allegedly exposing employees to unacceptable levels of hazardous dust from industrial furnaces. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the action yesterday. Inspectors, responding to a complaint in September, 2003, found that employees were being exposed to cadmium and lead "in excess of permissible amounts."
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Members and friends: The U.S. EPA is considering allowing radioactive waste in hazardous waste landfills, such as Envirosafe in Oregon, Ohio, about a mile from Lake Erie. Please send your comments to the U.S. EPA by March 17, 2004. If possible, please specify Envirosafe. Thanks.
OREGON -- Envirosafe Services of Ohio Inc. has asked the Ohio EPA for permission to "increase the volume of waste materials that may be disposed in the landfill cell and to extend the time period over which the landill cell will remain commercially avaiable." Envirosafe will hold a public meeting on this request at 6:00 pm on Feb 11 at the Pearson ParK Macomber Lodge, 4600 Starr Avenue, Oregon. Enter Macomber Lodge from Navarre Avenue between Lallendorf and Wynn Roads, Ohio Citizen Action.
BACKGROUND ON ENVIROSAFE (179 KB doc)
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY REPORT ON ENVIROSAFE
COLUMBUS -- "For more than two years, state officials have been trying to determine who owns the Envirosafe landfill in Oregon. Ohio law requires not only that ownership of hazardous waste landfills be disclosed, but that the backgrounds and fingerprints of officers, directors, and key employees be provided to state officials. That hasn’t been done, said Gary Taylor, supervisor of the Ohio attorney general’s environmental background investigation unit," James Drew, Toledo Blade.