In Kokomo, Indiana, the cleanup of a site that was once rife with environmental hazards and carcinogenic materials is nearing completion. The project aimed to clean up the former site of Continental Steel, which went bankrupt in 1986.
In 1990, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the United States Environmental Protection Agency planned a joint cleanup effort. It is expected that the area will be completely cleaned up by 2011, and will be used as a park area.
"Hopefully that will transpire and give us something we can be very proud of," said Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight.
Materials removed included PCBs, lead, and asbestos, a carcinogen linked to mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive type of cancer that affects thousands of new patients each year in the United States. Chemotherapy and other treatments can help some patients, but sadly many patients lose their battle with mesothelioma within two years of being told that they have the disease.
The cleanup project is now in the home stretch thanks in part to nearly $6 million in federal stimulus funding.
"Over a period of many years we've been getting incremental funding to do the work," said Sharon Jaffess of the EPA. "Now with the stimulus money we're able to come in and get all the rest of it done quickly."
"We're actually very excited that we received this stimulus money," said Jessica Fliss, a project manager for the cleanup effort. "Because it would allow us to complete more of the work and put more land into productive reuse in the community."
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