Columbiana business issued violation notice by Ohio EPA
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is taking action against a business owner in Columbiana County after a neighbor and a township trustee voiced concerns.
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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is taking action against a business owner in Columbiana County after a neighbor and a township trustee voiced concerns.
West Township neighbors told 21 News that they have been voicing concerns about the business on State Route 30 for a while now.
Among their concerns, a fence made of truck parts, growing piles of car parts that allow mosquitoes to breed that could carry West Nile virus, and hiding places for rats and snakes.
But the bigger fear, residents say, is that chemicals from the junkyard could possibly end up in their drinking water or in Sandy Creek through the storm drains.
One community member, Tiffany Brownfield, says the owner of McDole Towing, Hauling, Moving and Buying Junk Cars is not removing oil and other automotive fluids from vehicles being taken apart and stored at his business.
"There are chemicals flowing from the container onto my yard into the soil and I do have a shallow drinking well," said Brownfield. "I have children and animals. I'm very concerned about that."
Brownfield says her concerns have fallen on deaf ears in the past, but the newer township trustee directed her to seek out the Ohio EPA.
After Brownfield and trustee John Olenick reached out to the EPA, officials were sent out to check on the property.
The Ohio EPA says that though they were refused entry to the property to check out the entire property, they did observe stormwater impacted by petroleum waste leaving the property
The OEPA told 21 News that they issued a notice of violation for unauthorized discharge to waters of the state.
The agency says the owner of the business has agreed to take six mandated actions to abate the violation, to stop the discharge, clean up the impacted, soil and remove a pile of auto parts containing the petroleum products.
The EPA says it will check up on the cleanup May 30th.
In addition, the EPA said that during a check of nearby Sandy Creek the body of water was found to be unaffected.
However, as for Brownfield, the EPA says that they only regulate public water systems and that private wells fall under the jurisdiction of local health departments.
21 News did reach out to the owner of McDole Towing, who did not wish to comment.