EPA Begins PCB Soil Cleanup at Joe Louis Greenway Site in Detroit
The cleanup process is expected to take four to five weeks.
Image via Kashyyyk from Pixabay
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun removing PCB-contaminated soil from a section of Detroit’s Joe Louis Greenway, after sampling revealed elevated levels of the toxic chemical at a vacant lot slated to become part of the popular biking and walking trail.
The Joe Louis Greenway, a high-profile infrastructure project, will eventually connect over 27 miles of walking and biking paths across Detroit, linking neighborhoods and expanding access to recreational space. But in late spring, progress hit a snag when environmental sampling revealed that soil at one section of the site contained PCBs at levels above federal safety standards.
According to an EPA release, the contamination was discovered during construction sampling by the City of Detroit at 8013 W. Chicago, a property located within the future Greenway. Follow-up testing by the EPA confirmed elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a 400-foot by 90-foot area on the site.
The EPA began excavation work on June 25, with plans to stockpile and transport the contaminated soil off-site for proper disposal. The City of Detroit will then backfill the site with clean fill, and the entire cleanup is expected to take four to five weeks, the agency said.
PCBs were widely used in industrial and commercial applications until the U.S. banned their manufacture in 1979. They were valued for their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point, and electrical insulating properties. However, PCBs have since been linked to a range of adverse health effects and are known to persist in the environment without breaking down.
“This summer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is removing soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, discovered during the construction of the Joe Louis Greenway biking and walking trail in Detroit, Michigan,” the agency said in a statement released on July 7.
The EPA is overseeing the cleanup in cooperation with the city to ensure the site is safe for public use once incorporated into the Greenway project.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
