LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to clean up 35 homes with lead-contaminated soil in Lincoln’s North Bottoms neighborhood.
EPA spokesman Chris Whitley told the Lincoln Journal Star (https://bit.ly/1NinbS2 ) the agency plans to offer remediation to property owners whose dirt tested high for lead. Soil with lead at 400 parts per million could be cleaned, said Whitley. Remediation involves digging up at least one foot of soil, bringing in clean dirt and covering the area with sod or hydroseed.
No amount of lead is considered healthy if ingested, but the general consensus is that soil with lead measured above 400 parts per million is an unacceptable risk, according to Whitley.
The properties are located close to the former site of the Northwestern Metal Co. plant, which operated near Memorial Stadium from about 1918 to 1961. State and local officials previously said the facility may have contributed to high lead levels in nearby yards.
The EPA was asked to investigate after initial testing conducted by the state in 2013 found that about half of the 20 properties tested had lead in the soil above 400 parts per million.
Whitley said owners who agree to have their soil tested will receive a letter about remediation this fall or next spring. The EPA then needs permission from the property owners in order to begin the remediation process.
The Northwest Metals Smelter Site project is being handled by a federal Superfund program. Remediation will be done at no cost to the property owner, Whitley said.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, https://www.journalstar.com
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