HARRISBURG — Attorney General Sunday announced that two companies have been charged for unlawfully storing and disposing hazardous waste from a facility in Beaver County.
The companies — One Brewery Place, Inc. (OBP) and M. Ultra Investment Group, LTD (M. Ultra) — were charged this week with a felony regarding management of hazardous waste and several related misdemeanors.
For many years, chemicals related to company work projects were stored at the Pool Doctor facility on New York Avenue in Rochester, Beaver County. The chemicals eventually became hazardous waste and posed significant safety risks to residents of Rochester and contamination risks for the nearby Ohio River.
The companies failed to fulfill their legal obligations to properly manage and dispose of numerous hazardous chemicals and did not obtain the required permits related to the storage or disposal of those materials.
In all, cleanup efforts to remove and safely dispose of the chemicals cost more than $2.4 million.
“For years, these businesses willfully ignored potential dangers associated with the storage of these chemicals, putting a community at risk, and ultimately burdening taxpayers with a mammoth bill related to cleanup efforts,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Every Pennsylvanian has a right to clean water and air, and the conduct involved here threatened those rights.”
According to the investigation, in early 2019, DEP received a tip about a strong chemical odor coming from the facility. Further investigation revealed a partially collapsed roof that allowed rainwater to mix with the chemicals. The facility was also on the Ohio River and there was concern that run-off could contaminate the river. During cleanup efforts, two separate chemical fires occurred, prompting shelter-in-place orders to be issued for the Borough of Rochester.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 30.
This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Shane T. Crevar of the Environmental Crimes Section. Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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