PA DEP Sets Hearing on Noll Lane Cleanup Plan
The state agency found battery casings that appeared to have been used decades earlier had been used as fill material, causing elevated lead levels in the soil.
Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public meeting and hearing Feb. 10 to explain how it plans to clean up lead-contaminated battery casings and soil at residential properties on Noll Lane in Ruscombmanor Township, Berks County. The meeting will start at 7 p.m.
"This meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions and discuss our proposed cleanup plan," DEP South-central Regional Director Lynn Langer said. "The Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act authorizes DEP to take action and create a plan to return this site to a sound environmental state."
The agency's announcement said DEP was notified in July 2013 about suspected battery casings along Noll Lane, then conducted an investigation and collected soil samples. It found battery casings that appeared to have been used decades earlier had been used as fill material, causing elevated lead levels in the soil.
The proposed response action is to excavate the soil to a depth of 2 feet on the shoulders of the roadway and then disposing of the battery casing material and contaminated soils above the statewide health standard for lead off site. The roadway will be rough-graded and capped with asphalt, stormwater controls will also be installed, and the area will be graded and grass planted to restore the affected areas.
As required under act, the administrative record for the proposal will be open for review and comment until April 6, 2015.