EPA declares former Vibratech site safe
The former Vibratech facility in Buffalo, New York recently completed a nine-month long $2 million cleanup. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared that the site is now safe enough to be handed over to the city.
The abandoned building required extensive cleanup of 56 cubic yards of PCBs and practically four miles of pipes that were contaminated with asbestos. It was a target for thieves and vandals who contributed to much of the pollution that had to be cleaned up. Thieves who stole the brass and bronze pipes for scrap metal left much of the asbestos behind on the ground—broken and thus more like to release fibers. Thieves who stole the copper from inside the light fixtures released the PCBs from inside the fluorescent lighting.
Officials are unsure what will become of the former Vibratech site. It may be marketed as factory space, but the owner is not responding to enforcement letters. He may be facing legal action from the EPA to recover the costs of the remediation project.
For the full story, go to The Buffalo News.
