Workers with the Environmental Protection Agency are going door-to-door, requesting permission to test soil for possible lead contamination.
Don Bahnke, an environmental engineer with the EPA, said his workers are going to 1,400 different properties with access agreement forms. The contaminations, left by lead smelting in the early 1900s, affect the top 12 inches of soil in different properties.
“It’s important for them to sign the access agreement,” Bahnke said. “I haven’t gotten any negative responses.”
Testing in 2006 and 2007 was done in Iola, and the EPA is working to finish the rest. Bahnke said about one in three homes in Iola has tested positive for lead contamination — children under the age of six can have impeded development if they ingest contaminated soil.
The EPA will replace the soil at no charge to the land owner if needed. They have done soil replacements on 130 homes in Iola from the initial testing, and hope to complete the rest as soon as possible.
EPA conducting tests
