(Nov. 13, 2014) Berlin could be required to clean up the grounds of the former Tyson’s poultry plant should it buy the property for a recreation facility, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.
The department approved the chicken processing plant as a “Voluntary Cleanup Program” site in 2005.
Established by the state legislature in 1997, the Voluntary Cleanup Program provides a streamlined cleanup process as well as liability protection for prospective owners of eligible properties, in effect making property transfers easier and redevelopment more likely. Under the plan, the state would provide oversight for properties contaminated with hazardous substances.
The evaluation process requires property owners to submit an application, undergo two phases of environmental site assessment and pay a $6,000 application fee. The department reserves the right to require additional information in order to determine eligibility.
A fact sheet provided by the department said the southwestern portion of the 68.22-acre Tyson Chicken Inc. property had been in use as a live poultry processing facility since the mid-1940s. Approximately 13 buildings and a series of wastewater treatment lagoons cover roughly 28 acres in the northern quadrant. Wastewater systems, which formerly processed waste, continue to process stormwater runoff.
The plant ceased operation in 2003.
From 1992-2004, five underground storage tanks were either removed or abandoned. The department’s oil control program required Tyson to install 20 monitoring wells on the property following the discovery in 2004 of petroleum-related compounds in several groundwater-monitoring wells. MDE collected supplemental samples in 2005.
Tyson submitted the cleanup program application on March 15, 2005 seeking a “No Further Requirements” status and the department approved the application on Nov. 3, 2005 for commercial or industrial use.
But using the site for something besides commercial or industrial activity would also change the state’s requirements.
Department spokesperson Jay Apperson said any potential buyer who wished to use the facility for a different purpose would have to submit a new cleanup program application.
“Proposed uses such as recreational or residential, when compared to a commercial use, are subject to a more stringent cleanup standard with greater environmental assessments and/or protections,” he said.
Apperson added that the department received an application for residential use of the property on Nov. 8, 2005, but that the applicant did not follow through on the additional testing the department required.
“If a new application for recreational or residential use were to be submitted, the applicant would likely be required to do additional soil and groundwater sampling, particularly in the areas with petroleum-related compounds, and they would likely have to address the wastewater treatment lagoons.”
The department approved the chicken processing plant as a “Voluntary Cleanup Program” site in 2005.
Established by the state legislature in 1997, the Voluntary Cleanup Program provides a streamlined cleanup process as well as liability protection for prospective owners of eligible properties, in effect making property transfers easier and redevelopment more likely. Under the plan, the state would provide oversight for properties contaminated with hazardous substances.
The evaluation process requires property owners to submit an application, undergo two phases of environmental site assessment and pay a $6,000 application fee. The department reserves the right to require additional information in order to determine eligibility.
A fact sheet provided by the department said the southwestern portion of the 68.22-acre Tyson Chicken Inc. property had been in use as a live poultry processing facility since the mid-1940s. Approximately 13 buildings and a series of wastewater treatment lagoons cover roughly 28 acres in the northern quadrant. Wastewater systems, which formerly processed waste, continue to process stormwater runoff.
The plant ceased operation in 2003.
From 1992-2004, five underground storage tanks were either removed or abandoned. The department’s oil control program required Tyson to install 20 monitoring wells on the property following the discovery in 2004 of petroleum-related compounds in several groundwater-monitoring wells. MDE collected supplemental samples in 2005.
Tyson submitted the cleanup program application on March 15, 2005 seeking a “No Further Requirements” status and the department approved the application on Nov. 3, 2005 for commercial or industrial use.
But using the site for something besides commercial or industrial activity would also change the state’s requirements.
Department spokesperson Jay Apperson said any potential buyer who wished to use the facility for a different purpose would have to submit a new cleanup program application.
“Proposed uses such as recreational or residential, when compared to a commercial use, are subject to a more stringent cleanup standard with greater environmental assessments and/or protections,” he said.
Apperson added that the department received an application for residential use of the property on Nov. 8, 2005, but that the applicant did not follow through on the additional testing the department required.
“If a new application for recreational or residential use were to be submitted, the applicant would likely be required to do additional soil and groundwater sampling, particularly in the areas with petroleum-related compounds, and they would likely have to address the wastewater treatment lagoons.”