Belt reaches agreement with health department

Belt reaches agreement with health department

August 9, 2001

Belt Salvage has reached a settlement agreement with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for allegedly burning toxic materials illegally.

Following neighborhood complaints of black smoke and bad smells emanating from the salvage yard south of Cortez, inspectors visited the site in May and found evidence that tires and rubber hoses had been burned in the open, according to Bob Jorgenson, enforcement supervisor for the health department.

Under federal clean-air regulations, toxic materials such as tires, construction materials, copper wiring or other plastics can only be eliminated using an enclosed incinerator. Clean wood or organics are the exception, and can be burned in the open, Jorgenson said.

A compliance notice was issued by the health department and then cooperatively resolved by all parties, so formal enforcement and fines were not necessary, health officials reported.

The settlement agreement, signed by owner Dan Belt, stipulates that the yard will refrain from such activity unless incineration is used and that state regulations will be followed, health officials said.