State health official discusses clean-up of old dump with town

Proximity to residences very unusual

What lies in the old Crested Butte town dump remains a mystery, and the next logical step, according to a representative from the state, is to conduct a “site characterization study.”

The study is meant to more thoroughly determine what lies buried beneath the land located on approximately seven acres between the town’s northern border by the bus barn and the south side of the proposed Foothills annexation. A very preliminary study conducted by the Foothills developers indicated pockets of lead contamination. Anecdotally, it is said there could be a plethora of hazardous materials buried on the site.
Mark Rudolph of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment answered questions from the Town Council and public for more than an hour Monday night. He said he is not aware of a similar dump situation located so close to homes. “There are residences within 20 yards of the site,” he stated. “That is very unusual. In any study or clean-up, there will have to be careful on-site and off-site monitoring of air quality. Wind fences may have to be installed to assure that no dust comes off the site. Mag chloride or a significant amount of water might have to be used to keep the dust down. I’ve never dealt with a project so close to residences but with appropriate controls, clean-up could be done safely. But it costs money.”
Rudolph described what he knew about the site. “It was apparently closed in 1978 or ’79,” he explained. “Apparently refuse was dumped into trenches and then buried. There is a potential that it wouldn’t have to be cleaned up. But if it does, there is the potential for the state or the federal Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] to assist financially on a limited basis.”
He said the purpose of the state’s volunteer clean-up program in situations like this is to ultimately see public benefit result from it. “We want to find creative solutions to clean up sites like this,” he said.
Councilman Billy Rankin asked if perhaps it would be best to leave the dump as it is. “With old mine sites that happens all the time,” responded Rudolph. “Sometimes stirring it up causes more problems than it solves. That could be a solution but we don’t know yet because we don’t know what’s there.”
Rudolph said the next logical step was a site characterization study that could take up to two weeks to conduct. “Right now we don’t really know what sort of material is buried in there,” he said.
Such a study would entail digging 10 to 15 groundwater wells on and around the site according to Rudolph. Soil cores would be taken and analyzed. Groundwater levels and flow would be studied. Laboratories would run a full analysis looking for things like asbestos and petroleum products. “From the bore holes and groundwater you can get a good idea of what’s there,” he said. “But you can still end up missing some things.”
He admitted that estimates of needed work after a site characterization study varies. “They differ from site to site in terms of accuracy,” he explained. “They can get more complicated once digging begins in a clean-up. They can go under expectations as well. There should be sufficient capital to finish the project once it starts.”
Rudolph said the autumn, when it is relatively dry and the groundwater is not running as high as in the spring, is a good time to conduct the testing. He estimated that once a decision is made to do a characterization study it would take about two months from the initial planning stage to the actual drilling to analyzing samples in the lab. “If the parties got it together, it could start this fall and maybe have some solid data in December,” he said. “At least something to start a discussion.”
He said the ballpark cost of such a study would be $30,000 to $40,000. “The state could conduct such a study but it couldn’t do it this year,” he said. “The developers would have to hire an independent contractor if they wanted to get on it this year.”
If a full clean-up is needed, Rudolph said it would probably take at least one full construction season. As for getting money from the state or feds to help, that too could take at least a year or more and there isn’t much available. Rudolph said the state has a total of about $250,000 for all such projects. Any one project could potentially receive between $50,000 and $100,000, depending on the situation and the number of other projects in the pipeline. The federal EPA grant process would take until at least the fall of 2010 to see any money, and the most would be about $200,000.
Foothills attorney Jim Starr asked Rudolph if he’s ever seen a situation where a public entity like the town and a private entity like the developers both owned land over parts of the same dump.
“Never,” he responded.
“Great—here’s another example of Crested Butte once again setting a precedent,” quipped Mayor Alan Bernholtz.
Depending on what is found at the site, the soils might have to be transported to either the Gunnison landfill or farther to special sites that could take material like Freon, asbestos, soil contaminated by petroleum products or lead. Area residents testified about the daily winds that come over the old dump and into town.
“I’m very concerned about this,” said Gwen Descognets, who lives at Butte Avenue and Seventh Street. “There are strong, regular winds out there that could carry harmful dust. My Red Lady prayer flags blow every day.”
Bernholtz suggested the state monitor any clean-up and take the most aggressive plan needed to protect nearby residents.
“That would be the only way to do it, given the proximity to the houses,” assured Rudolph.
Rudolph emphasized that he would like to see the town of Crested Butte and the owners of the Foothills land “move forward cooperatively.”
He said he couldn’t even give ballpark figures of what it would cost to clean up the old dump. He said similar projects where developers had proposed building residences on an old landfill site had reached into the millions of dollars. He said given the residential sites nearby, no matter what type of clean-up commenced, it would likely require stringent clean-up standards.
The town and developers will meet to discuss potential ways to move forward with dealing with the dump, but no specifics have been set.