EPA Gives All-Clear to Beachwood School's New Stadium After Runoff Issue

BEACHWOOD, OH - Last week, adhesive from Beachwood School's new stadium track dissolved in heavy rains and washed into retention ponds in Pepper Pike and Beachwood. Today, the school announced that the EPA has cleared the track's runoff water to be released into the ground water system. The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District also cleared the water in Beachwood's retention basin and will begin pumping the water into sanitary sewer lines so that it can enter the water treatment system.

The adhesive run-off posed no threat to students, the community or local wildlife.

Beachwood Superintendent Robert Hardis said in a statement that, "We are relieved to know that the water contaminated by the adhesive used in our track installation is safe to be handled in these ways."

Hardis also said that installation of the track will continue this week, aided by warm weather and a lack of rainfall.

Shana Wallenstein, the district's director of development and interim director of communications, said that the clean-up efforts did not cost Beachwood Schools anything. Instead, the contractor who installed the track, Current Surfaces Inc. will pick up any costs.

Current Surfaces hired Clean Harbor, a contractor, who mobilized on site to vacuum out the stadium retention basin.

The adhesive run-off was originally discovered by the Pepper Pike Fire Department, who noticed that there was an off-white substance floating in the city's retention pond. Pepper Pike firefighters then contacted the Beachwood Fire Department. Beachwood firefighters discovered the same substance floating in the Beachwood retention pond and traced the source to the new track.

Work on the stadium is nearing completion and the Beachwood Bison will make their Homecoming on October 14 at 7 p.m. The district will release more details about Homecoming Week in the coming days and Patch will keep you abreast of the festivities.

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