News

Local polluter still at it
Council growing intolerant of Yarmouth Lumber
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--Peter Eremita of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection spoke to the Gray Town Council about the continuing pollution and remediation problems at Yarmouth Lumber, a truck refueling company in south Gray. After three years of remediation, collaboration, and attempts to encourage Yarmouth Lumber to improve its environmental practices, Eremita advised the Council that although there has been some improvement, ultimately the lessons are not sinking in.

The DEP and Yarmouth Lumber had entered into a consent agreement in August 2004 and a scope of work was outlined. This was to clean up the long-term fueling spills that were discovered to have harmed the local environment and seeped into the ground in 2001. After testing discovered that local wells were impacted and the fuel had traveled underground to an area wider than just the confines of the Yarmouth Lumber facility, the Town of Gray and the DEP have been working with Yarmouth Lumber to get them to stop these practices and clean up.

"They've complied to a degree," said Eremita, "but there have been more discharges, which is in violation. We have referred the matter to the enforcement group and likely a legal notice of violation will be issued."

The DEP has overseen the installation of 19 test pits and collected soil samples to delineate whether there was contaminated or non-contaminated soil. Over 1,900 tons of contaminated soil has been removed. Nineteen 55 gallon drums of oily water and contaminated sediment were removed. The DEP officials discovered that although the Yarmouth Lumber personnel had taken to heart that the mini-spills needed to be soaked up with appropriate material such as kitty litter, they had thrown the soaked kitty litter outside in a pile directly on the ground.

Council Chair Pam Wilkinson was aghast. "Some of this stuff that is happening is just deplorable. The kitty litter waste dumped out back shows a total disregard for our town." She was concerned that if the violations are occurring with the Town and DEP breathing down their neck with reports issued monthly, that left to their own devices the company would unquestionably revert to worse practices.

Wilkinson said that the Council and the DEP will work together to increase pressure on Yarmouth Lumber to clean up and stay clean. Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz said that he will look at whether their grounds, with their damaged trucks littering the lot, would constitute a junkyard and thus require a stringent permit. The town can also send the Code Enforcement Officer to inspect. The Council and DEP can look to see whether Yarmouth Lumber can be required to hire, at their own expense, a company to spot check their facility at off times and report to the town and DEP.

Finally, Wilkinson said, "If they choose to continue environmentally insensitive practices and indicate no willingness to improve, we will pull their license to do business in the town of Gray."

The DEP's 16-point work plan outlining the scope of work for a clean-up, and heir latest Environmental report is available at Town office at 6 Shaker Road.