November 17, 2003

Open House Scheduled To Discuss
Siting Of Hazardous Waste Facility

An open house to discuss alternative locations for UConn's temporary hazardous waste storage facility will take place on Thursday, November 20, in the Bishop Center, Room 7.

From 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be a public availability session, with display tables and opportunities for the public to ask questions of representatives from the consulting firm conducting the study, UConn staff, and the town.

From 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be a presentation and an opportunity for the public to comment, followed by an additional public availability session.

"We are interested in hearing what members of our community have to say about where the facility should be located," says Rich Miller, director of environmental policy. "Once we determine the permanent location for the facility, we can begin to make substantial improvements, or relocate and rebuild an upgraded facility."

The Less-than-90-day Hazardous Waste Holding Facility, the place where laboratory waste is stored until it is disposed of off campus, is located on the East (Agricultural) Campus. However, UConn is conducting a study to determine whether or not the facility should be relocated to another campus site. The University's contractor for this study, S E A Consultants Inc., will discuss the sites to be evaluated; the siting criteria to be considered; and the data and information sources that will be used to evaluate the site alternatives.

By early next year, the consultants are expected to recommend a preferred location for a permanent facility.