No.06-OPA066
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: E.P.A. and partner agency representatives will be accessible to brief media before the May nine YWCA public meeting from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and again post-meeting, after eight p.m.
CHICAGO (May 3, 2006) - E.P.A. Region five will resume collecting soil samples from residential yards in South Minneapolis neighborhoods the week of May 15. A public meeting to summarize the 2005 work and answer questions about the upcoming effort will be held May 9, six to eight p.m., at the YWCA, 2121 E. Lake Saint
With the goal of comprehensively mapping airborne arsenic contamination from the former CMC Heartland Lite Yard at the intersection of Hiawatha Avenue and 28th Street, E.P.A. projects to collect small "plugs" of soil at in excess of 3,000 properties in 2006. 5 contractor sampling teams, sometimes wearing required protective equipment, will be working in the Corcoran, East Phillips, Powderhorn and Seward neighborhoods.
There is no cost to residents for this soil sampling or any cleanup work. E.P.A. is working in partnership with the city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
In the weeks ahead, E.P.A. will schedule additional meetings in the affected neighborhoods. A fact sheet and outreach materials in English, Spanish,
Hmong and Somali will be accessible at the meetings, at local businesses and online at
www.epa.gov/region5/sites/cmcheartland. Residents with questions or who need special accommodations at the May nine meeting may contact E.P.A. community involvement coordinators Cheryl Allen or Bob Paulson toll-free, at (800) 621-8431, Exts. 36196 or 60272.
During 2004 and 2005, E.P.A. collected soil samples from in excess of 600 properties. Lab analysis identified 61 properties with arsenic contamination above EPA's action level. To date, 57 of these properties have been cleaned up with the 4 remaining to be addressed this spring.
From 1938 to 1963 a pesticide containing arsenic was produced at the Heartland site. Material from an open-air railcar-unloading and product-mixing operation is believed to have been windblown into nearby neighborhoods. Parties legally responsible for the pollution are cleaning up the former industrial location under MDA supervision. After further investigation indicated arsenic contamination had spread to residential yards in the area, MDA requested assistance from EPA.
If ingested in large quantities, arsenic-contaminated soil may result in gastro-intestinal problems. Arsenic is also associated with certain cancers.
Location documents and general information about EPA's Superfund cleanup plan are on file at the Minneapolis Public Library, East Lake Branch, 2727 E. Lake St.; the Green Institute, 2801 21st. Ave S., Suite 100; and the Sustainable Resources Association, 1916 2nd Ave., S.
