Cleaning up Brewer’s toxic Getchell Brothers site could cost $330K

Removing asbestos and lead paint from the old Getchell Brothers ice plant in Brewer could cost up to $330,000, according to an assessment Brewer will present at an upcoming public meeting.

An assessment of the site found materials with asbestos and lead-based paint within the building, as well as drains that connect directly to the Penobscot River. In some areas, the surface soil has lead and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which come from burning materials like coal and oil and can cause various health problems .

Tanks for heating oil, diesel and gasoline were removed from the property in 1989 and 1994.

Brewer bought the waterfront buildings at 1 and 11 Union St. in April for $550,000 with the goal of decontaminating the sites before putting them back on the market. The city would have to pay for the remediation if it does not receive a grant to cover the costs.

The best cleanup option is to remove the asbestos and waste from the buildings, along with the contaminated soil, with the expectation of new construction going on the site. That plan would cost $257,000 to $330,000, according to the assessment.

Another alternative is burying the contaminated soil on part of the property that is undevelopable, then adding a marker layer and 18 inches of clean soil on top. It would cost between $125,000 and $188,000, while also requiring annual inspections to ensure the soil has not eroded.

A third option is to do nothing and leave the site undeveloped, which would not require any additional funds.

A Brownfields Cleanup Grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection covered the environmental assessment of the site , Brewer’s Economic Development Director D’Arcy Main-Boyington said. The state hired Beacon Environmental Consultants LLC to do the work.

The city has applied for a grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to cover the remediation but has not received a response, Main-Boyington said.

The cleanup and Brownfields remediation will be discussed at a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13 at Brewer City Hall on North Main Street. Public comments will be accepted at the meeting, but can also be submitted from July 25 and to Aug. 24.

Clean up cannot start until after the 30-day comment period ends, Main-Boyington said.

Getchell Brothers, founded by two brothers in 1888, provided packaged ice to stores in Maine. The company moved to Brewer in the 1940s. Four structures stand on the property, an ice plant, office building, refrigeration building and a pumphouse, according to the assessment.

The full assessment reports are available on the city’s website . People can submit comments via phone at 207-376-5001, email at jcressey@beaconmaine.com or by mail to Beacon Environmental Consultants LLC, Attention John Cressey, P.O. Box 2154, Windham, ME 04062.