DEP Approves Cleanup Method Submitted by Ryder Truck Rental, Inc

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has approved a cleanup method submitted by Ryder Truck Rental to address environmental conditions at its Dunbar rental facility in Kanawha County. The cleanup would be conducted through the WVDEP’s Voluntary Remediation Program.

The site is located at 2815 Fairlawn Avenue in Dunbar and includes approximately four acres. A release of petroleum from underground storage tanks previously located there have impacted soil and groundwater.

The applicant has determined that the site currently meets the De Minimis Ecological Screening Evaluation, and has proposed remediation methods to ensure that the property meets the Site Specific Human Health Standard. Natural attenuation is proposed to address groundwater impacts and a land use covenant is to be recorded that prohibits the following: 

            - Extraction of groundwater at the site for any use except groundwater monitoring and remediation; 
            - Uses of the site for any purpose other than non-residential property as defined by the West Virginia Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act (West Virginia Code §22-22-2(q); 
            - Construction of buildings in the designated restriction area on the site without sub-slab vapor barriers and/or ventilation systems adequate to prevent exposures to vapors in soil and groundwater.

Upon completion of the remediation, a final report will be submitted to OER for review and approval. 

West Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act encourages voluntary cleanups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties, with an objective of counteracting the lack of development on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. The Voluntary Remediation Program identifies and addresses potential contamination at a given site, sets applicable remediation standards, and ensures that the standards are maintained at the site. By providing financial incentives to invest in brownfields, this approach protects communities and the environment while still promoting economic development in West Virginia.