Update April 22, 2024 - EPA completed removal of the Penrose Funeral Home on Saturday, April 20, 2024. The building materials and foundation were dis-infected, demolished, and transferred off-site for disposal. The foundation was replaced with clean soil. Work at the Penrose Funeral Home began on Monday, April 15, 2024 and was completed within 6 days.
Penrose Removal Action
EPA will conduct a removal action at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, pursuant to a request from
the State of Colorado and Fremont County. The demolition will be conducted under the direction of EPA’s Emergency
Response personnel and its trained hazardous materials contractors.
EPA, CDPHE and Fremont County uniformly agree that there is no health risk to the public based on the safety measures in
place for demolition, transport, and disposal. All health and safety measures put in place for this removal action adhere to
rigorous and stringent protocols to safeguard both workers and the community to ensure complete protection of public
health and environment.
During the removal process,
a disinfectant will be applied inside the building prior to and during demolition. Excavators will first start to break up the
building from the top down and remove large pieces of the structure, while working to keep it within the foundation
footprint. During this process, EPA will use water and other liquid solutions for dust suppression, but not in quantities that
would cause runoff of contamination from the interior of the building to the ground surface outside.
Ground crews will manage building materials to ensure the loading process into the dump trucks is efficient and protective.
These materials will be prepared and loaded into trucks in accordance with applicable regulations and landfill requirements.
Once the building and concrete foundation slab have been removed, EPA will conduct a shallow surface scrape of soils on
the footprint of the building. The soils will be transported to the landfill through the same process as the building materials.
Background
To address the public nuisance identified at the Return to Nature Funeral Home at 31 Werner Road, Penrose Colorado on October 31, 2023, the Fremont County Board of Health ratified issuance of a legal Public Health Order. Following this Public Health Order, Fremont County and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requested that the EPA conduct a “removal action” including demolishing and disposing of building materials.
In response to this request, an EPA team and their contractors conducted an assessment of the building on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, to determine EPA’s role and next steps. Personnel entering the building wore protective clothing to protect them from any residual medical or hazardous materials remaining inside the building. There were no risks to the public from these assessment activities.
EPA’s Role in Removal Actions
EPA’s emergency response program responds to oil spills, chemical,
biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents, including large-scale national
emergencies. EPA provides support when requested or when state and local first responder
capabilities have been exceeded. Through coordinating and implementing a wide
range of activities, EPA conducts removal actions to protect human health and
the environment.
In carrying out these responsibilities, EPA coordinates with other
federal agencies, states, tribes, and local governments. This coordination is
done through On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) who are the federal officials
responsible for monitoring or directing responses.
