TROY — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has crews in Miami County to conduct a large-scale cleanup of chemicals that have contaminated the soil for decades.
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, the project is currently focused on a site in Troy where specialized machinery is being used to remove deep-seated pollutants.
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Environmental crews are targeting contamination that dates back to the 20th century. The U.S. EPA identified multiple businesses from that era as the potential sources of the chemicals currently found in the ground.
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The cleanup process involves digging up the contaminated soil and transporting it to a local landfill for disposal.
Once the hazardous material is removed, crews will backfill the area with clean soil to restore the site.
Kamron Block, a resident of Troy and a construction worker, lives on Water and Main streets near the cleanup site.
Block noted that the heavy machinery and truck noise do not bother him because of his professional background.
“I’m a construction worker, so I’m actually used to all the noise trucks and whatnot,” Block said.
EPA representatives recently visited the neighborhood to inform residents that the remediation work was beginning.
Block said the notification was his first introduction to the environmental issues in the area.
“It was my first time hearing about it, actually. I mean, it’s a good thing to me. I mean, never a bad thing to clean up the area,” Block said.
To ensure the safety of the surrounding community, the EPA is requiring all truckloads of contaminated soil to be covered with tarps.
This measure is intended to prevent any contaminated material from blowing off or spilling while being transported to the landfill.
Block said he is glad the agency is addressing the hidden environmental hazards underneath local homes.
“History has a way of repeating itself or making itself a little more prevalent in the future,” Block said.
Crews are expected to remain on-site for the next few months to complete the soil removal and replacement process.
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