Companies were storing hazardous waste in facility before chemical fires, AG says
By Raquel Ciampi
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BEAVER COUNTY, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Two companies allegedly left chemicals at a Western Pennsylvania facility for so long they became hazardous waste.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General has charged One Brewery Place, Inc. and M. Ultra Investment Group, LTD (M. Ultra) with felony’s related to the management of hazardous waste.
According to officials, the companies stored work projects at the Pool Doctor facility (Beaver Alkali Products) on New York Avenue in Rochester, Beaver County for years.
A release from the Attorney General’s Office said the chemicals posed a threat to residents in the area and became a contamination risk for the Ohio River after becoming hazardous waste.
The discovery was made following a tip to the Department of Environmental Protection in 2019. The tip relayed that there was a strong chemical smell coming from the facility.
At the building, investigators found a roof that had partially collapsed, allowing rainwater to mix with the chemicals being stored.
Because the facility was on the Ohio River, officials said there was a concern that run-off could contaminate it.
Cleanup efforts were made, however two separate fires occurred during that time. Those fires forced shelter-in-place orders to be issued in the Borough of Rochester.
Emergency officials urged residents within a 5-mile radius to shelter in place due to chlorine gas leaking into the air.
“There was, like, a huge mushroom in the sky, and the sky started turning black, and you could start smelling the chlorine,” Jennifer Kosior said in 2019.
In total, it cost more than $2.4 million to clean up and safely remove the chemicals.
“For years, these businesses willfully ignored potential dangers associated with the storage of these chemicals, putting a community at risk, and ultimately burdening taxpayers with a mammoth bill related to cleanup efforts,” Attorney General Sunday said
The Attorney General’s Office said both companies did not have the proper permits related to storage or disposal of the materials.
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