SABATTUS – State officials say an asphalt pile stored in a gravel pit doesn’t appear to be a risk to groundwater.

David Dalphonse, a member of an anti-mining group, complained about he material. He said he found building materials and asphalt in a gravel pit on private property in the town. He said the pit is in the contributing area for an aquifer beneath much of Sabattus. He said he was concerned about potential risks to groundwater.

“They’re using these gravel pits as landfills. That’s not right,” he said.

Dalphonse said the town’s code enforcement officer visited the site and did not take any action.

CEO Richard Behr differs, though.

“The owner of the asphalt has been notified. He’s moving it,” Behr said.

Dalphonse also contacted the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Mark Stebbins of the DEP visited the site. He said he doesn’t believe there have been any violations of law.

“The storage of asphalt is allowed under our solid waste rules. Most of the time asphalt and concrete are recycled,” Stebbins said. “It looked to me like it was going to be recycled.”

Stebbins said temporary storage of asphalt is legal, but dumping it is not.

“It is a fine line between disposal and storage,” he said, adding that to bury asphalt or use it to fill in a well would be illegal.

Bruce Hunter is a hydrogeologist with the DEP. He said there is nothing in asphalt that is likely to leach into groundwater. If anything did leach, he said it could only travel a short distance.

Hunter said he hasn’t visited the site yet, but plans to.

State toxicologist Dr. Andrew Smith said the asphalt may not equate to a health risk.

“It’s hard for me to see where the agents (chemicals contained in asphalt) would be mobilized out of that,” Smith said.

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