Lawsuit Planned Over Springdale Auto Salvage Lot

EPA Report Says Springdale Site Possibly Contaminated

Courtesy Photo The old Meadors Truck and Van Salvage at the corner of Thompson Street and Black Oak Avenue is being studied for possible pollution in Springdale. An Environmental Protection Agency report states various drivetrain and other vehicle parts were left uncovered and exposed on the ground while the business was in operation.
Courtesy Photo The old Meadors Truck and Van Salvage at the corner of Thompson Street and Black Oak Avenue is being studied for possible pollution in Springdale. An Environmental Protection Agency report states various drivetrain and other vehicle parts were left uncovered and exposed on the ground while the business was in operation.

SPRINGDALE -- The site of a longtime salvage yard could be contaminated by oil, gas and other automotive fluids.

The old Meadors Truck and Van Salvage at the corner of Thompson Street and Black Oak Avenue is being studied for possible pollution. The property's owners, OPT LLC, have paid for a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment by Pollution Management, a private company that assesses environmental pollution, said David Carruth, the attorney for OPT LLC.

At A Glance (w/logo)

Automotive Salvage

More than 4 million end-of-life vehicles are recycled annually in the United States. Auto recyclers dismantle these vehicles to recover fluids and parts for reuse, and scrap material for recycling.

Source: The Automotive Recycling Association

The property shows areas where oil and other fluids from vehicles stained the ground, according to the report.

Salvage yards are required to drain and properly dispose of all fluids in recycled vehicles, said Perry Harton, environmental director for the Arkansas Automotive Dismantlers and Recyclers Association. Meadors wasn't a member of the association, Harton said.

Automotive fluids that soak into the ground, or are washed off the property by rain, can cause damage to the environment and pollute drinking water, according to information from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The site of the salvage yard has been used for that purpose since the 1950s, according to an environmental assessment report. Meadors leased the property in the 1970s from Otha Tackett, the property owner. The last Meadors' lease with Tackett ran out in August 2012 when the business closed. Tackett died in 2006. His heirs are members of OPT LLC.

An Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality representative inspected the site in June 2007 and found several violations, according to a copy of the inspection. Violations included the presence of petroleum-based spills and leaks on the ground in several areas of the salvage yard.

The company never developed a stormwater pollution prevention plan, or met any requirements of a plan, except annual sampling from the site, according to the inspection report. The company didn't collect any automotive switches that contain mercury, action required by their permit, according to another inspection report.

The database of the department didn't have a record of any fine levied against Meadors, according to Katherine Benenati, spokeswoman.

The next step is a Phase II assessment of the site to determine the extent of any pollution, Harton said. Samples are taken by drilling into the ground.

"Tons of dirt could have to be removed if the assessment shows that much contamination," Harton said.

The cost to clean the property could be settled by a lawsuit.

The property owner plans to file a lawsuit against the Meadors family, Carruth said. The city could also be a defendant in the suit, Carruth said, after its Community Engagement Division removed debris from the property as a violation of safety and sanitation codes, and filed a cleanup lien against the property.

Larry Douglas, the attorney who has represented the family in the past, didn't return phone calls. Telephone numbers listed for the business have been disconnected.

City workers only removed debris and mowed the property, said Ernest Cate, city attorney. No dirt was removed from the site. The conflict with the property owners is over the amount the city charged for the cleanup, he said.

The city's bill for the cleanup, which ran March 11-14, was $34,000, according to city records. The bill was reduced from $51,000 after Waste Management, the owner of a landfill, waived tipping fees, Cate said.

Carruth countered with an offer of $8,500, according to a letter to the city. The City Council declined, and, on Tuesday approved filing a lien on the property to recoup costs.

Mayor Doug Sprouse said he's always concerned if a site in the city is polluted.

"It's certainly going to be a liability for the owners," Sprouse said. "The (Department of Environmental Quality) should provide the oversight that any contamination is cleaned up properly."

NW News on 06/02/2014

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