Scrap firm described as nuisance; cleanup underway

A small scrap purchasing business known as Midway Metals in Clallam County, Washington, has started to have its inventory hauled away after reaching an unwritten agreement with local officials.

An early April online report by the Port Angeles, Washington-based Peninsula Daily News indicates scrap considered marketable will be taken to a processing facility, while materials considered “junk” will be hauled to a transfer station in Port Angeles.

The process to clear the 2-acre Midway Metals site, owned by Katrina Haymaker, may take up to two months, according to the report.

The article describes steps taken by Clallam County stemming from concerns about metals leaching into the groundwater at the site. “Soil and groundwater were contaminated with mercury, lead, cadmium, hydrocarbons, arsenic, total chromium and other chemicals, county officials said,” according to the newspaper report.

A photo accompanying the Peninsula Daily News story shows an unpaved road lined with appliances and loose scrap on either side, with a forested area in the background.