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Originally published Aug. 5, 2024
BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – The cleanup of the 13,000 tons of oil field waste, including radioactive waste, is underway at the Austin Master facility in Martins Ferry.
Karina Cheung, ODNR Spokesperson, tells River News Network that the agency began phase one of the cleanup Tuesday, July 23. A contractor who has a state contract is now working at the site, she says. This first phase of the cleanup should take approximately three weeks.
The ODNR contractor will remove the waste from Martins Ferry and ship it by truck for disposal in landfills in Pennsylvania, Cheung explained.
The waste from the first phase of the clean up will be transported by truck and lawfully disposed in residual waste landfills in Pennsylvania.
Karina Cheung, ODNR Spokesperson
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management is accepting bids for the second phase of the waste removal and for restoration of the site, Cheung says. Approximately 20 contractors attended a pre-bid walkthrough for this additional contract July 23.
Cheung says once the second contract is finalized, the additional work must be completed within 9 months of that contract.
The second phase of the clean up may consist of shipments of waste by truck and or rail.
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