According to a recent article from the ONEONTA DAILY STAR (see Link), the state DEC has hired a firm --S and M Prompt Rubbish Removal Service of Freeport --to remove up to a million tires buried on property in West Edmeston in the town of Brookfield in Madison County.
The tires are buried on the two acre site on Rt. 8,bordering the Unadilla Rive. -- Some tires buried as deep as 15 feet. Due to flooding, tires have "migrated into the nearby the Unadilla River".The tires will be removed and taken to Seneca Meadows, where they will be used in landfill construction. When the Brookfield project is done, the DEC will seek to recover costs through the state Attorney General's Office.
The DEC was tipped off several years ago to the presence of buried tires at the Brookfield site, which then was owned by Thomas Price, according to summary emailed this month to The Daily Star. Price signed a consent order with the DEC but wasn't able to clean up the site.
An investigation revealed that Phil Harris had operated a tire-disposal business at the site in the 1980s.d. At some point, the town buried the tires because of concerns that they would hold water and become breeding areas for mosquitoes.
The firm has until May 13 to complete the $1 million project. The cost is paid through the state's Waste Tire Abatement Fund, which imposes a $2.50 fee each time a tire is purchased.
