The Pease Development Authority voted unanimously Thursday night not to renew a contract with the scrap metal recycling company Grimmel Industries at the Port of New Hampshire in Portsmouth.
Residents, environmental watchdogs, and Portsmouth city officials have long complained that Grimmel’s scrap piles contaminate both the air and water.
Nevertheless, the Pease Development Authority signed a five year contract with Grimmel in 2009, citing an absence of alternative revenue sources.
In 2011, the EPA found Grimmel in violation of the Clean Water Act for leaching Mercury and PCBs into the Piscataqua.
Grimmel’s contract terminates in December. The Pease Development Authority does not yet have a tenant to replace the scrap company.