The United States Environmental Protection Agency Announces A

The United States Environmental Protection Agency Announces a Public Meeting and Public Comment Period for the Westside Atlanta Lead Site in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a Proposed Plan for the Westside Atlanta Lead Site in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. A public meeting to present the details of the Proposed Plan will be held on Thursday, September 15, 2022, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm online EPA will hold a 30-day public comment period from August 26 to September 25, 2022, to seek public input on the Proposed Plan. During the comment period, the public is encouraged to review and offer comments on all site-related documents. The public can view the Administrative Record file online at www.epa.gov/superfund/westside-lead or online at the local information repository at the Washington Park Public Library, located at 1116 MLK, Jr. Dr., SW Atlanta, GA 30314. In 2018, an Emory University doctoral student shared data with EPA showing elevated lead levels collected from soil samples in Atlanta's Westside neighborhoods. Additional research by EPA led to the discovery of industrial smelting waste (slag) in multiple lots near Elm Street. In March 2019, EPA began sampling in the area to determine the extent of the contamination and appropriate next steps to protect public health and the environment. The current study area includes properties north to Wheeler St. NW, west to Joseph E. Lowery Blvd. NW, south to Martin Luther King Jr Dr. NW, and east to Northside Dr. NW. EPA began cleaning up properties with lead contamination in the soil in January 2020. The EPA added the Westside Lead Site to the Superfund program's National Priorities List (NPL) in March 2022. The EPA will continue to determine which yards are impacted by lead and conduct the necessary soil cleanup at the affected properties. EPA's priority is a comprehensive approach that addresses all contamination related to the former foundry operations that surrounded the community. The EPA, in conjunction with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GEPD), developed and evaluated a range of options to clean up the lead contaminated soil at the Site. The options evaluated to treat the soil ranged from No Action to Excavation and Off-Site Disposal. The EPA preferred alternative is excavation and off-site disposal. Under this alternative, contaminated soil would be excavated to a maximum depth of two (2) feet. The excavated soil would be transported and disposed off-site to an EPA approved landfill. The excavated areas would be backfilled with clean soil, graded to provide positive drainage, and vegetated. Impacted areas would be restored. EPA projects the cleanup to cost $49.13 million and take approximately 6 years to complete the cleanup. EPA's proposed cleanup plan addresses the elevated risk associated with exposure to lead in the soil at the Westside Lead Site. Written comments may be emailed to Famble.Alayna@epa.gov or mailed (postmarked no later than September 25, 2022) to: Alayna Famble, US EPA Region 4 Superfund & Emergency Management Division, 61 Forsyth Street SW Atlanta, GA 30303. For further information please contact Ron Tolliver, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator (404) 562-9591 or via email at Tolliver.Ronald@epa.gov. 9/2/22