WARREN, Maine — Mountains of highly flammable fiber waste that have plagued the town for 16 years will soon be removed and turned into composite lumber.
The first 14-ton truckload of the wastes was removed last week from the property off Route 90. The second truckload drove off Thursday as Maine Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Patricia Aho toured the site.
The removal of the 27,000 tons of fiber materials is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 or early in 2017.
“This is a win-win situation for everyone,” Aho said from the site Thursday.
The DEP signed a contract with Triumvirate Environmental Inc. of Somerville, Massachusetts, in October 2013. At no cost to the town or state, Triumvirate will remove all the fiber wastes and truck the material to a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania, where it will be converted into composite lumber.
Aho said when she first toured the property three years ago she was stunned by what she saw.
“I never imagined the scope and magnitude,” Aho said, pointing out that the mountains of waste cannot be seen from heavily traveled Route 90.
The fiber material — which is used for things such as lining vehicle trunks — is considered hazardous because it is highly flammable and difficult to put out if ignited. The town of Warren has been working for the past 16 years to cover or remove the material.
Warren Town Manager Elaine Clark said Thursday that the start of the cleanup was a relief for the town and fantastic news. Clark, who has been town manager for more than a year, said she has not had to experience the ordeal that longtime town residents have. She said even after the contract was signed, there was still concern over whether the cleanup would occur.
The 70-acre site had been home to the former R.D. Outfitters rifle range. When the owner of that facility brought in the material during the late 1990s, he said it was to be used as berms to stop bullets from going off the property. But opponents questioned whether the owner was simply using the property as an unlicensed dump to make money by accepting the material from the former Gates Formed Fibre of Auburn.
The DEP years ago estimated the rifle range owner — Steamship Navigation, whose principals were Randy and Cathy Dunican — received $1 million to have the fiber wastes dumped on the property.
The DEP ultimately went to court to take control of the site after Steamship said it had no money to complete the berm project, which would have consisted of covering all the fiber with dirt. The DEP went to court and received $410,000 from the former owner to assist in the cleanup costs.
The town has declined for the past 16 years to foreclose on the property, even though the owner has not paid property taxes. Town officials have been fearful of taking over the property and being liable for any environmental damages caused by the wastes.
Clark, who will be leaving as town manager at the end of the month, said the local selectmen will be left to decide whether to foreclosure on the property at some point in the future. She said a stream of people have expressed an interest in acquiring the property if the town were to acquire it but the officials want to make sure it is environmentally safe first.