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EPA: Evansville clean-up will be large

By Brandon Bartlett - bio | email | Twitter
Posted by Sarah Harlan - email

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Clean-up to areas of Evansville contaminated by lead will be one of the largest, widespread clean-ups in the nation according to the EPA.

The contamination might be from old factory smoke stacks in the area, but, Tuesday night, some of those neighbors heard from the EPA and local officials about this massive project.  

Right now, in Evansville there are 37 cases of lead contamination in children.

Most of those children live in the affected areas, but one concern raised tonight: there are two schools currently under construction in the contaminated areas.

EPA officials admit they weren't aware of that, and it's concerns like that that had many asking questions Tuesday night.

"The reason I was concerned is because I garden quite a bit," resident Jim Gass said.

Gass lives in the Jacobsville area, the neighborhood that tested the highest for lead contamination in the city.

Now, he's wanting answers about his property.

"I want the test results," Gass said.

But Gass and others were told things won't happen overnight.

In fact, now that the EPA has extended the boundaries for possible contamination, it could take 10 to 15 years before all areas test at a safe level.

"My thought is, I'm sure that any part of Evansville that is probably over 75 years old is going to have quite a bit of lead in the ground," Gass said.

But using a map, EPA officials believe they have the contaminated areas narrowed down.

There are 10,000 homes in these boundaries, but only 4,000 of them will need to be cleaned-up.

"It's not like the worst risk ever, but it's enough of a risk for us to say, 'look, we need to go out there,'" project manager Mary Tierney said.

Work in the Jacobsville area is scheduled to last until 2012.

Clean-up in the extended areas wouldn't start until after that.

Officials said more testing still has to take place.

If a property is found to be contaminated, the EPA will cover the cost of clean-up for residential property owners, daycare facilities, playgrounds and parks.

It won't cover the cost for commercial properties.

That work takes three to five days per home, and would start with areas considered to be the highest priority.

The EPA hopes to have a plan in place for the extended areas by the end of September.

They'll partner with local neighborhood associations to keep neighbors updated on progress.

The health department said if you live in an older neighborhood with houses built before the 1950's, unless you know your soil is clean, your kids shouldn't be playing in bare soil.

Playing on grass is safe.

There is another EPA meeting Wednesday morning at 10:00 at Central Library.

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