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Trustees want break on salt storage rules
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - September 28, 2011)
Trustees want break on salt storage rules
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon Township Trustees are asking the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to keep in mind their budget constraints as they build a new salt shed.
Trustee Steven Borawski said concerns were raised in a letter sent to the township July 26 which called for stricter building standards for the shed being built at the township's maintenance yard on Mentor Road.
The township was mandated by the state agency to build a salt shed after the EPA filed a report in February 2010.
The report pointed to the township's practice of mixing salt and cinders on permeable ground as the reason for salt contamination in nearby residential water wells. The report said wells at three homes on Woodie Glen Drive and six others on Mentor Road, Breckenridge Drive and Woodie Glen were affected.
EPA officials said the contamination is considered an "aesthetic problem," producing foul odors and taste.
The township halted the practice of mixing the road de-icers on the gravel lot and moved forward with construction of an EPA-approved salt shed.
The new salt shed, costing $260,000, began going up in September.
Mr. Borawski said the cost alone of building the new shed has put a strain on the township budget of approximately $1.8 million.
In addition, he said, the township has canceled any major road work for the coming year and laid off one road worker to meet its obligations.
The letter from the EPA threatens to add to the costs and further strain the township's finances.
Among the requirements being sought by the EPA are a cap over the affected area, testing of rain water that gathers in trenches and the moving of a door to the shed from its western facing side.
The engineer on the project, Douglas Courtney, of C.W. Courtney Co., of Mayfield Village, has responded to the letter in hope of appeasing EPA officials and reducing some of the requirements without harming the environment.
Mr. Courtney said one requirement is to remove excavated materials or cover them with a tarp to avoid further impacting ground or surface waters. He said most of the excavated materials will be used to bring the site of the shed up to grade, rather than disposing them.
"As a result, excavated material (primarily from foundation excavation, if suitable) is intended to be used beneath the building pad," Mr. Courtney wrote. "Any excavated material stored on site for an extended period prior to reuse as embankment material will be placed on a tarp and covered to prevent impacts to ground and surface waters."
The testing of rain water that collects in trenches will be done. If found not to meet EPA standards, it will be diluted before being released.
As for the door, site constraints prevent the door from being relocated to the south or east sides of the building. "The township is currently considering a door that can be closed, while the facility is not in use. However, this item is subject to the budget constraints for the current improvement."
He also wrote that budget constraints prevent the township from providing the cap sought, but that other actions will serve as a cap.
"Chardon Township's current budget constraints have prohibited the design and construction of the recommended cap over salt-impacted areas of the site at this time," Mr. Courtney wrote.
"The approximate limits of the salt-impacted areas from the November 2010 Burgess and Niple report have been added to the plans and our calculations indicate that the impervious surface being constructed as part of this improvement as well as clean-compacted fill placement will effectively cap approximately 90 percent of the salt-impacted area," Mr. Courtney wrote.
Mr. Borawski said the township is awaiting word whether the proposed solutions will be accepted and lessen the township's costs.
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