Workers move contaminated soil from the backyard of a home Tuesday morning. A crew from WRS Compass was back to work in Chattanooga on Tuesday to do more lead contamination clean up.TO GET HELPThe EPA has opened a community outreach center at 27 W. Main St. for informal meetings and to provide a daily point of contact for residents with questions.The toll-free number for information or ask questions is 1-877-718-3752, ext. 28463.Source: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental investigators have taken 230 soil samples in downtown neighborhoods from Missionary Ridge to St. Elmo and found high lead levels in more than 10 percent of them.
That means the possibility of dangerous lead levels in soil is more widespread than just the Southside, where state and federal environmental regulators began a lead removal project Sept. 24.
“There’s an investigation that’s ongoing,” said Troy Keith, Chattanooga field office manager for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Division of Remediation.
He said TDEC and the Environmental Protection Agency already were concerned about extended areas of lead contamination in Chattanooga.