The Environmental Protection Agency has cleaned up a lot of messes, but this one is like no other.
A 70,000-square-foot warehouse operated by EPA contractors was revealed to have what several media sources have described as "secret man caves."
“The warehouse contained multiple unauthorized and hidden personal spaces created by and for the workers that included televisions, refrigerators, radios, microwaves, chairs and couches,” according to an EPA report obtained by Government Executive.
“These spaces contained personal items, including photos, pin ups, calendars, clothing, books, magazines and videos.”
A 30-by-45-foot athletic center included "surplus" EPA gym equipment, according to the Washington Post. It was hidden away from security cameras with partitions and boxes.
The paper said the agency severed ties with Apex earlier this month, with EPA Inspector General Arthur A. Elkins Jr. siting "significant concerns with lack of agency oversight."
According to the New York Daily News, the report described conditions at the Maryland warehouse as "deplorable."
"Door jambs were corroded; dirt, dust and vermin feces were pervasive; and several items were rotting and potentially hazardous. We observed refrigerators with mold, and old computer bags molding and rotting," the paper quotes the report as saying.