Commerce City, CO–Earth Services & Abatement (ESA) completed the demolition of the abandoned sugar factory in Ovid, CO using an unusual method that saved the Amalgamated Sugar Coop millions. The eyesore is gone, and huge liability eliminated, for the Coop’s farmers.
ESA had two main challenges: get the local landfill to approve a one-time asbestos permit to accept the waste so that trucks would not have to haul the material 3 hours each way, and convince the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to approve a variance allowing for demolition of the mill with the asbestos still inside. Working collaboratively with CDPHE, ESA was able to do both.
“Our focus on this project was to show that safety must come first on projects of this nature. Sometimes a common sense approach in working with the State can yield results that are not only safer for the public health and the environment, but also more affordable for clients.”
There are 21 abandoned sugar factories remaining in Colorado.
Photo Courtesy of: Earth Services & Abatement, Inc.
