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EPA HALFWAY THROUGH CLEANUP OF RICHMOND APARTMENT COMPLEX

Release Date: 6/22/2000
Contact Information: Leo Kay, U.S. EPA Press Office, 415-744-2201

     Crews removing tens of thousands of pounds of lead-tainted soil

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is midway through removing tons of soil at a housing complex in Richmond where old railway operations had left behind high levels of lead-contaminated dirt.
     
     An EPA cleanup crew is removing and backfilling an estimated 60,000 cubic yards of soil from roughly 12 acres on the Richmond Townhouse Apartment property, where lead levels in the soil have tested as high as 9,710 parts per million.  The EPA's cleanup level is 400 parts per million of lead in residential soil.  

     The total cost of the cleanup   paid with federal and state funds is expected to cost more than $1.2 million, and is slated for completion in late July.  The cleanup crew is removing soil up to two feet down, and installing a fabric barrier to discourage future digging.

     An estimated 510 people live in the apartment complex, and 40 to 50 children attend the on- site daycare center regularly.  Since 1993, Contra Costa County Health Services officials have recorded six children from the townhouses with mildly elevated blood lead levels.  These numbers were based on laboratory and doctor reports, as well as on-site blood testing offered by the health department in February.

     Long-term exposure to lead can result in behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth and damage to the brain and nervous system.  Parents can call (510)374-3184 for information about getting their children tested, or talk to their regular doctor.

     The California Department of Toxic Substances Control will fund and oversee the transport of the contaminated soil to a landfill in Kettleman City.

     Throughout the cleanup, crews are wetting the soil to suppress potential dust emissions.  Hourly air samples are also being taken to ensure the safety of local residents. In addition to removing the soil and backfilling the area with clean dirt, the EPA is also re-landscaping much of the property, and replacing the sprinkler system.

     From 1909 through 1959, the Pullman Palace Car Company operated a 22-acre rail car maintenance yard that included the area where the Richmond Townhouse Apartments now sit.  Rail car maintenance included the use of lead based filler material to repair dented rail cars and sandblasting paints that commonly contained lead.