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School Closing Information

Ypsilanti's Water Street area requires extensive cleanup before development begins

Brownsfield on Water Street property in Ypsilanti.
Doug Coombe
/
Concentrate Media
Brownsfield on Water Street property in Ypsilanti.

The Ypsilanti City Council heard an update Tuesday night regarding the cleanup of the lead and PCB contaminants at the Water Street parcel and when redevelopment might be able to take place.

AKT Peerless Environmental Services made numerous soil borings and found extensive PCB and lead contamination deep in the ground that has been there for about 100 years and continued to accumulate for decades.

Project Manager Scott Wasielewski says, now that they know where all the contaminants are, they can clean it up.

“We know what happened, and it’s also spatially defined both vertically and horizontally. So now, there’s no question about where it came from. There is no question about how far it extends. It is defined to the point where it can finally be cleaned up and addressed.”

The City Council is looking to apply for an EPA grant of about $4 million. Senior Project Manager Ryan Higuchi says he does believe has a very good chance to get the funding.

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News Reporter and Host Kevin Meerschaert was a student reporter at WEMU in the early 90s. After another 30 years in the public radio business and stops in Indiana, Maryland, Florida, and New Mexico, Kevin is back to where it all began.
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