Rural counties find cleanup of meth-lab sites so troublesome, expensive, many left abandoned

Homes are sitting vacant in many rural Indiana counties, after their use as methamphetamine labs rendered them uninhabitable without costly clean-up. State regulations require owners to pay for the cost of decontamination, necessary since meth residue can linger for a decade and can cause significant health problems for those living in the residence. But many rural counties lack the authority to enforce regulations or the money to clean up the residence themselves.

The cost of meth cleanup can range between $3,000 to $30,000, not counting initial testing, which costs around $1,500. That price is too steep for many, who instead choose to abandon the property. Meth makers are not the only ones affected: the law affects landlords, who can be stuck with cleanup costs thanks to their tenants' activities. As we reported earlier this year, Indiana found a third more meth labs in 2008 than they did in 2007, with the highest number of labs discovered in rural Noble County, population 47,500.

In Perry County, Ky., 78-year-old Geneva Litherland's son complained to Jermie Farmer, an environmental specialist at the county's health department after a neighboring trailer was abandoned. But there was nothing Farmer could do. "It's one of those situations where your hands are just tied, especially in a small county such as ours," he said. "We are sick of it." (Read more)