DPW Yards and Highway Departments

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is the workhorse department of most local and county governments. In addition, there is the state Department of Transportation. These departments take care of much of the infrastructure that keeps a town, county or state running. From the smooth operation of traffic signals and road signage to the efficient upkeep of roadways, they perform a wide range of activities. 

 

Much of the work they do is out in the community with their fleet of vehicles and equipment.  But they also need a base with work facilities where the town, city, or county can carry out other needed activities. These facilities can range from a simple office area to fill out reports and have meetings to a place to store extra drainpipe and fencing. Typically, there is also a maintenance yard or two for their fleet of cars, trucks, and heavy equipment. Other typical uses for department facilities could be using the area for recycling, composting, temporary land filling, and hazardous waste collection. Sometimes the yards are locations for old and unused equipment that just lays there and rusts. 

 

There are many toxic and dangerous chemicals used and stored at DPW yards and facilities. Some of them are used on a daily basis. While most of the activities carried out every day do not present any environmental issues by themselves, problems can occur simply because of the materials and activities at the location. Problems may also occur if one or more individuals working there disregard their actions’ effects on the environment. Improperly disposed motor oil could be poured into the ground or drains. Chemicals such as cleaning compounds, degreasers, and machine lubricants could easily be spilled out behind or around the buildings. When vehicles and large machinery are hosed down or repaired, hazardous fluids and oils could leak on the ground. 

 

My past job took me to many DPW yards on a weekly basis. Because I am interested in the environment, when I saw something, I would ask about it. Over the years I made friends with many of the DPW workers, and they would share stories with me. In speaking with these people, sometimes when an accident occured, the people that are involved in the incident prefer to clean it up themselves because they are afraid of getting in trouble and losing their jobs. 

 

In one case, shared by a camping buddy who works for a DPW, a forklift driver accidently hit a pallet, rupturing a drum of industrial degreasing solvent. The contents of the drum spilled out all over the floor. The involved parties just washed the solvents down the drain and disposed of the drum out back into the dumpster. If the spill were handled properly, the local HazMat team would have had to get involved, as well as the proper government environmental agencies. 

 

Once the HazMat team responded to the incident, paperwork would need to be completed, state agencies would be notified of the incident, and possibly the local news may have picked up the story. The entire incident may have been turned into a big issue with potential negative ramifications for the workers involved and a very expensive cleanup. It seems, then, that the system discourages people from properly dealing with these situations. It is preferable to sweep the problem down the drain, so to speak, than to deal with it the right way. 

 

Sometimes the spills are not accidents, but negligence. Over decades, continuous oil leaking from trucks, residues dripping from machines, and fluids seeping from equipment get into the ground bit by bit and build up to potentially hazardous levels. It is also important to remember that it was not too long ago that dumping these potentially hazardous materials down the drain, onto the ground, or into the local landfill was an acceptable means of disposal. It was only recently that we have begun to understand the consequences that our past actions are having on our environment and, consequently, on our health. Even when intentional contamination has not occurred, just the routine everyday operations at these facilities presents a very strong potential for a hazardous situation to occur.

 

I have a good friend who worked for a DPW in a central New Jersey city for 23 years. He would tell me stories about washing down vehicles and heavy equipment with hazardous substances right on the bare ground. There were drain pipes inside the building where they worked on the heavy equipment, and all of the hazardous materials went down the drain, possibly even contaminating the large creek behind the building. Old motors and other machinery were thrown into a pile out back and covered with dirt. The road scrubbers would return from their rounds and empty their tanks of dirt out back as well. Gallons of oils, gas, paint, degreasers, and other materials were handled sloppily. He said it was common practice for most of the crew to work in this manner. Sometimes, I would visit him during lunchtime at the yard. I knew several other workers from camping trips, and they would share some of their stories as well. Especially since their employment with the department went back so far, they knew about past practices that were no longer being done, but the consequences of which remained in the soil and buried out back. 

 

I can hear the moans and yells from operators who take great pains to do their job correctly and meet environmental standards, but our research unfortunately bares out that even though there are totally responsible individuals, totally responsible DPWs are the exception.

 

1. Underground Storage Tanks

 

Most DPW yards have on-site storage tanks that hold bulk oil, gasoline, or other substances. The majority of DPWs have been at the same location for decades. There are many instances of the original storage tanks having never been removed and leaking their contents into the soil and aquifer. Towns with a public water supply usually draw their water from wells that may be impacted by chemicals leaked from the DPW site in the vicinity. There are hundreds of DPWs that have old, leaky tanks. In 1984, the EPA mandated underground storage tanks be replaced with special lined tanks to protect against leaks. There was a 10 year phase during which tanks were to be switched to the new ones. Well over a million old tanks, primarily made of metal and buried since the ‘50s and ‘60s, were already in the ground.  All the fluids and sludge in the old tanks first needed to be removed and disposed of at special facilities.The costs associated with digging up and removing the old tanks were high.

 

In Bolton Center, Massachusetts, the site of the highway department was determined to be the source for an ongoing leak from underground storage tanks onsite. Gasoline leaking from tanks created a plume of contamination that impacted a nearby water supply well. It is unknown how long the well had been polluted, but all the while, people used the water.

 

In Fairfield, Connecticut, the DPW yard never removed their old tanks when new ones were put in. It was discovered that the tanks had leaked diesel fuel and oil. There was contamination 300 feet away from the spill area. While 300 feet may not seem like a big distance, based on the high water table in the area and potential for extensive groundwater contamination, concerns are high. The cleanup, which was once thought to be an easy quick one, would now take five to ten years based on the extent of the contamination. While so far nothing is being said about the chemicals having traveled offsite, contaminating adjacent properties, neighbors are watching anxiously and should have their own testing done.

 

In Dumont, New Jersey, the DPW was cited by the Department of Environmental Protection for contamination. Groundwater at the site contained petroleum products that had leaked from underground storage tanks. Some of the groundwater and soil contamination has been there since the mid-’80s, seeping through the soil and creating a chemical plume in the aquifer.

 

2. Degreasers, Cleaners, and Solvents

 

Maintenance yards for DPWs are very busy places. All of the equipment the department uses, from weed wackers and lawnmowers to earth-moving and digging equipment,  is stored and maintained at the yard. Working on the machines and making sure they keep running takes a lot of maintenance. Changing the oil, lubing the parts, replacing worn parts, and doing repairs are all part of what’s done at the yard.  After it has been repaired or used, the equipment needs to be hosed down to wash it. Bulldozers, backhoes, paving equipment, and dump trucks all get cleaned. Many present-day DPW yards have a wash bay where the equipment can get pressure washed and cleaned. The waste water goes into the floor drains. If the floor drains are properly set up for a wash bay, the contaminated water is captured in special equipment and disposed of properly. If the water is simply sent into the town sewerage system or, worse, drains into a nearby creek, that presents a much larger problem.

 

However, there are many DPW yards that still wash the equipment outside. Heavy duty degreasers, solvents, and whatever else is used run onto the pavement or dirt and go into the ground.  The runoff goes into nearby ditches, eventually making its way off the property. Years of accumulation of polluted wash water build up in the surrounding soils.

 

3. Past Dumping Practices

 

Depending on how long the yard in question has been used by the department, past activities almost always included waste disposal. For instance, the DPW yard in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was found to have contamination from an unknown source. The property tested positive for toxins usually found in landfills potentially chemicals. Old landfills and informal dumps were common at older DPW yards. While many are no longer used, the threat they pose may still exist. It is entirely possible toxic chemicals deposited at the old landfill have contaminated the soil in the area putting neighbors at risk. 

 

So far, the city is not admitting to anything. City officials did say the current DPW yard could have been the site of a landfill or ash dump 75 years or so ago as some of the contaminants found indicate coal ash and a landfill were there. If indeed that is the case, unlined dumps were usually used for everything from construction debris to industrial waste disposal. 

 

Past practices of disposing materials that were not considered hazardous in the past but are now known to be so, are commonly found in older yards, mostly from the 1990s and earlier. In many cases they still remain where they were disposed of years ago until a problem needing to be investigated occurs. 

 

4. Particulate Matter and Noise

 

Frequently, the town may have a section of the maintenance yard where the locals bring all the organic waste, such as tree trimmings, grass, leaves, and other types of waste. In many towns they may grind up the waste and let it compost into mulch. The town may use it for their own projects or sell it for a small fee to the residents to use. 

 

While recycling the wastes into compost and mulch is environmentally friendly, it creates a situation where small particles from the debris are continuously being swept up in the air and blown off the site. Many of these particles are inhaled by neighbors and lead to irritated respiratory systems and increases in asthma. 

 

Even if the DPW yard does not have a mulching operation, they do operate trucks, heavy equipment, and diesel-powered generators. Diesel fumes are already a known carcinogen, and the fine particulate matter these engines emit gets trapped in the air sacs of the lungs, irritating the entire system. The exhaust-filled air, even if only for several hours per day, will have a detrimental effect of people living nearby. The fumes alone from all the diesel powered equipment they use would make for some very exhaust-filled air for a while. 

 

The noise generated from all the trucks, vehicles, and equipment presents a hazard of its own. Noise has been proven to have a detrimental effect on people’s nervous system when they are subjected to continuous loud noises. It has even more of an effect on children, resulting in decreased ability to focus and concentrate. 

 

Early in the morning, the first diesel truck cranks up and starts idling to get ready for the workday. Multiply that times the many trucks, heavy equipment, and other noise from the yard, and you have a very loud neighbor. Sure, maybe they don’t start until 6 in the morning, but to have that everyday to start off with does get to be quite a strain on your body’s nervous system.

 

5. Fill Dirt from Outside Places

 

Many DPW yards have piles of dirt they use for projects around town. Some of the dirt and fill is from excavations they did at other projects. Sometimes, they bring in fill from outside contractors that they allow to dispose at their site. 

 

At the Fairfield, Connecticut, DPW yard, a pile of demolition debris and fill was found to contain levels of PCBs and lead by an unknown source thought to be an employee with knowledge of the problem. An outside environmental consultant was brought in to test the fill and soil at several town locations. By that time, unfortunately, contaminated soil was used in many local projects.

 

When investigators requested some of the files related to this issue for review, it appears some of them files related to this issue were missing when requested for review. The files may have likely had information about where the contaminated soil came from and who authorized it being dumped at the DPW yard. Recently, it was discovered an official of the town stole the files possibly in a coverup of who knew what and when. They were quickly returned to investigators by the official once it was known he removed them. 

 

This turned out to be a major scandal involving kickbacks, bribes, and illegal dumping of hazardous wastes. The co-owner of a construction company was accused of paying kickbacks to the superintendent of public works to allow the construction company to dump hundreds of truckloads of soil containing toxic levels of lead and PCBs on property belonging to the town of Fairfield, property adjacent to the town’s public works garage. The construction company co-owner was charged with first-degree larceny, first and second-degree forgery, paying kickbacks, and illegal dumping.

 

While the blame fell on the outside contractor managing the fill pile, the fact remains that PCBs are in the DPW yard next to neighbors. The uncovered pile is subject to erosion and seepage into the ground from the weather. The DPW of Fairfield didn’t know that a fill pile on their own facility was contaminated until it was too late. Schools, parks, and other public lands wound up with contaminated fill pulled from the pile by the DPW. Lead, PCBs, and other toxins are also now being cleaned up around town.

 

In Teaneck, New Jersey, a former DPW maintenance facility used since the 1960s has been discovered to be contaminated. The property was being considered to build housing for senior citizens. As of the writing of this book, the town is currently investigating to see the extent of the contamination and if the site would be able to be cleaned up enough to place housing on it. Because Tony and I have experience and knowledge of what DPWs used back in the 1960s and ‘70s and how disposal in general was handled, we would not be surprised to find out the property has much more contamination yet to be found on it than hoped for.

 

Not every DPW yard is a definite hazard. However, there are usually a range of work activities that increase the possibility that it may be. Since many DPW maintenance yards have been used by the department for years, the hazards could have happened long ago and may not have been discovered or made public. 

 

If I moved into a new place or just now realized there is a DPW facility nearby, I would check into certain facts. How long have they been there? What have they been used for in the past?  What are they currently being used for? What might it be used for in the future? Ask the state environmental office if there have been any issues in the past that were investigated or suspected. 

 

You can easily check with the town and the state to see if there had been old underground tanks that were removed and replaced. You can also see if there are large piles of fill dirt or mulch that may be a source of contamination or of much dust blowing around on windy days. Don’t take what they tell you at face value, either. Do some investigating on your own by reading through old news articles on the internet and reviewing old town meeting minutes. Looking at records of town meetings gives an open look into what problems the town has faced in the past and what, if any, solutions they took to resolve issues.