EPA Begins Large-Scale Contaminated Soil Demolition, Cleanup in Michigan, New Jersey, Detroit

Multiple long-term environmental cleanup efforts are underway across the United States to address industrial contamination affecting communities. In Charlevoix, Michigan, the EPA has begun demolishing and excavating several buildings contaminated by dry cleaning and manufacturing chemicals dating back to the 1930s, following decades of water supply relocation and pollution concerns. In Trenton, New Jersey, the city was added to the federal Superfund priorities list after lead contamination from historic pottery manufacturing was detected in soil at homes, parks, and a school, prompting plans for a long-term cleanup. New York State officials are reviewing a remediation plan for polluted soil at a former church and school site near a power plant in Manhattan, with affordable housing development pending city approval. In Detroit, Michigan, the EPA is removing soil contaminated with PCBs at a future site of the Joe Louis Greenway, a major urban trail, to mitigate health hazards linked to these persistent chemicals. Additionally, in New South Wales, Australia, the EPA is leading a debris cleanup in Ghinni Ghinni Creek caused by severe storms, focusing on removing hazardous waste and animal carcasses to restore aquatic habitats and support recreational use.