The Longmont City Council is considering a plan that would lead to the creation of a composting facility on a potentially toxic industrial property. The property is known as Aggregate Industries Distel, a gravel processing facility. Former Longmont mayoral candidate Ethan Augreen wrote a Substack post calling the city council negligent and incompetent for moving forward with considering this proposal “without conducting comprehensive environmental testing and remediation.”
The city council members discussed the proposal at their January 14 meeting and indicated the site could be used for a composting facility and/or a fire training center. “Due to the extent of industrial disturbance on Distel, the probability of ecological restoration success and the likelihood of achieving open space criteria and goals as set forth… is greater on Tull,” the meeting packet states. Tull refers to another piece of property obtained by the city from Aggregate Industries Distel.
Augreen said the statement is a “red flag,” because it indicates the Distel site is not suitable for open public space due to “industrial disturbance.” Augreen said the logic doesn’t make sense — if the property isn’t suitable for open public space, it isn’t suitable for a composting operation. Augreen linked to EPA data in his Substack post that shows toxic contaminants on this property, including Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PACs) and Benzo(g,h,i)perylene.
According to the EPA, these contaminants can leach into the compost, which is then used to fertilize or amend garden and farm soil. The EPA states that both of these contaminants are “associated with cancer in humans” through breathing and skin contact. The EPA also states that mice developed tumors in laboratory testing when consuming food contaminated with Benzo(g,h,i)perylene or PAC, but these effects have not been seen in humans
Augreen is also concerned about runoff of compost leachate into nearby soil, sediment ponds, and Boulder Creek. Compost leachate is a liquid that seeps from compost piles, which could contaminate nearby farms and water supplies.
The EPA filed Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reports for the property between 2002 and 2008, which documented the presence of PACs and Benzo(g,h,i)perylene, but the agency has not issued a TRI report since. Augreen warns that the cessation of TRI reports from the EPA should not be taken as an indication that there are no toxic chemicals of concern on the property. Augreen said aerial views of the site indicate industrial activity occurring well after 2008. He said there are “visible signs of deterioration, such as expanding disturbed areas, darkened soils, and pooling water that may indicate runoff or drainage issues.”
There is no specific timeline laid out for the potential implementation of this project.
