Workers with WRC Compass dig up contaminated top soil in the backyard of a home Tuesday morning.Contractors have completed lead removal on two properties in the Southside, says the EPA coordinator for the cleanup.
Now a tentative work schedule for cleaning another 50 yards is being established, said the EPA’s Perry Gaughan, and his goal is to complete the work in about six months.
“On the two properties we’ve cleaned up so far, the top soil has been pretty uniformly contaminated with lead at levels over 400 parts per million,” Gaughan said.
Normal levels would be expected to be between 50 and 75 parts per million, he said.
“It seems to be [highest at] homes built in the early 1900s — like 1903 and 1905.”