Iola City Council members gave approval for the Environmental Protection to begin a massive soil cleanup effort within the city.
The council unanimously approved Monday a motion asking the EPA to place Iola on its National Priorities List — more commonly known as being declared a Superfund site — to clean potentially hundreds of properties of lead-contaminated soil.
Being placed on the list is a near certainty, said Don Bahnke an environmental engineer with EPA, because the federal government already has spent $2 million on soil cleanup in Iola and is aware of more contaminated land in the city. More so, the lead-tainted soil is a potential health hazard, particularly for children under 6 years old, Bahnke said.
A similar study in 2006 found more than 130 properties surveyed in Iola — many located near where zinc smelters operated in the early 20th century — had unsafe levels of lead. Those studies were largely voluntary, in which samples were taken from properties only upon the landowner’s request.
Properties that had more than 800 parts per million of lead-soil concentration were remediated by removing at least two feet of topsoil, replaced with “clean” dirt and re-seeded with grass.
Roughly 400 other properties had less than 800 ppm of lead, but more than 400 ppm, and should be cleaned up as well.
Bahnke told the Register previously he suspected as many as one-third of the remaining 1,700 properties exceeded the 400 ppm threshold.
Bahnke told council
members Monday that being on the NPL clears the way for the federal government to pay all of the costs of the project, with a portion being reimbursed by the state. The city will bear no cost of the project.
Early estimates indicate the cleanup could cost as much as $9 million, City Administrator Carl Slaugh said.
With the city’s letter in hand, Bahnke spelled out the steps from here. Officials from the EPA will prioritize the health hazards to ensure the city’s inclusion. He figured the designation should occur before the end of the year.
City Councilman Kendall Callahan asked about preplanning, and whether steps could be taken to ensure a quick and efficient remediation process.
Those steps are already underway, Bahnke responded.
He also rebuffed any concerns from locals that the process could be cut short before it was complete.
The project will cover primarily residential properties, with commercial sites on the east edge of town and near the old IMP boat plant in west Iola also included.
Slaugh asked Bahnke about the stigma a community might encounter being placed on the National Priorities List or earning the “Superfund” designation.
Bahnke said the true concerns should lie with Iolans who own property that contained known health hazards that could hamper land values if not remediated.
