LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Environmental Protection Agency officials plan to test homes near a former Superfund site in Louisville to see if they contain any vapors from toxic chemicals.
The Courier-Journal (https://cjky.it/TZpYFq) reports sampling will begin in June for about 50 homes near the long-closed hazardous waste landfill.
The move comes after monitoring wells the EPA installed last year found high gas levels from seven toxic chemicals.
“If the levels coming off the landfill are the same as getting into the homes, then the homes would need a remediation system,” EPA official Donna Seadler said.
She says the testing consist of homeowners putting a special canister in a basement or crawl space for about 24 hours. The container is then sent to a lab to be analyzed.
If lab results show unsafe vapor levels, the agency would install systems similar to those used for high radon levels.
“I am hoping they are going to find our air breathable,” said Gail Fehrenbach-Crutcher, who is one of 21 homeowners who have so far agreed to have the testing done.
The site was once on the nation’s Superfund list, but the EPA completed remediation on it in the late 1980s. Residents and environmental advocates have long complained that the effort wasn’t enough.
Monitoring wells were placed at the site after reports that once-buried waste was making its way to the surface.
State Rep. Joni Jenkins and Metro Councilwoman Attica Scott encouraged residents to allow the testing.
“I’d want to know, if it were my home,” Jenkins said, who commended the EPA’s decision.
“I think it’s a great first step. We want to make decisions on facts, and not speculation,” she said. “This is a great sign the federal government may be moving forward after a very long time.”
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Information from: The Courier-Journal, https://www.courier-journal.com
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