filled with leftover foundry junk – and all of that surrounded by a visual observation of the property to identify potential
a chain link fence.” environmental concerns, as well as a hazardous materials
assessment, which looked at whether dangerous substances
The property’s interior condition was in as much disarray as its were on the site, including inside the building – “and then it got
unsightly outward condition – and environmentally troubled interesting,” Steiner said.
to boot. It was clear to the Village that it was time to call
in professional help.
“When we were performing that hazardous materials site
assessment, we came across this pile of electrical capacitors,
Prepping for remediation
Village officials had previously worked with Ayres on another
environmental reuse project – the former Stokely Canning Site
Redevelopment – so discussing the problematic Waunakee Alloy
foundry site was a natural conversation to start.
“We’d been talking with the Village about the foundry site for
a long time,” said Jeff Steiner, a hydrogeologist at Ayres who
managed the Waunakee Alloy site conversion project. “We
consulted on the types and availability of grants and talked
early on about what potential environmental impacts we
may find out there.”
Ayres first helped the Village obtain a $150,000 Wisconsin
Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) site assessment
grant to conduct preliminary environmental investigations.
In October 2014, Ayres completed a Phase 1 environmental
site assessment, which involved researching historical
and regulatory agency records, conducting interviews with
and they were leaking PCBs,” said Steiner, referring to a group of
chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls that are no longer
being manufactured because of their potentially harmful health
effects. “On top of that, whoever did this spilled mercury all over
the leaking PCB-containing electrical capacitors, so that was a
really big setback.”
Mercury, a neurotoxin, is another banned and dangerous
substance. But even worse, the two toxic substances were mixed.
It’s presumed that a trespasser looking to salvage metal, copper
wiring, and any other materials of value dumped the electrical
capacitors on top of a pallet, and mercury, presumably from
scavenged mercury switches, was then released on top of the
leaking PCB capacitors and surrounding floor area.
Ayres then brought in an environmental contractor to
containerize the capacitors and vacuum and containerize the
mercury. Still, a problem remained: there was seemingly no
permittable way to properly dispose of this mixed waste.
people knowledgeable about the property, and performing
www.AyresAssociates.com
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