Hazardous material discovered in Basehor
The state Department of Health and Environment has fined a Rossville company $23,000 for illegally transporting and storing hazardous waste at a Basehor residence.
According to the KDHE, the company, Clean Air Environmental is a lead and asbetos abatement contractor that was removing lead from a building at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in Parsons.
The state says on Oct. 11, the firm moved six 55-gallon drums of hazardous waste from Parsons to a home at 14886 Rolling Hills Road in Basehor. The Basehor home is the residence of an employee of Clean Air Environmental.
The drums, which were stored in a horse pen outside a barn, were removed on March 8, after KDHE was notified and visited the site.
The drums contained enough chromium and mercury to be considered hazardous, according to KDHE. Mike Heideman, a KDHE representative, said the materials were contained within the drums.
“The issue is not that we had found contamination that had escaped from any container,” he said.
The company is appealing KDHE’s findings, Heideman said.
According to KDHE, Clean Air committed these violations:
Illegally stored hazardous waste at an unauthorized site.
Illegally transported hazardous waste to an unauthorized site.
Did not register as a hazardous waste transporter.
Provided a false Environ-mental Protection Agency identification number on a hazardous waste transport manifest.
Failed to minimize public health risks by transporting hazardous waste through a residential neighborhood.
Heideman said KDHE also is looking into why Clean Air was hired for work at the plant, if it didn’t have a permit to transport hazardous waste.