A heavily contaminated site on Lansing’s north side is on the verge of being removed from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund site list.
The site on North Larch Street was known as Barrels, Inc. from 1961 to the early 1980s. The operation rinsed, repaired and repainted industrial barrels for reuse, and in the process, a wide variety of toxic materials contaminated the soil.
The cleanup included the removal of thousands of tons of that soil.
EPA Remedial Project Manager Lauren Bumba says all cleanup goals have been met. She describes removal from the Superfund list as a “significant milestone," adding “it doesn’t prevent future action under the Superfund, and if we did have any new information come to light about the site, we would still be able to take action under the Superfund law to permit that.”
The process does have one more step: a public comment period on Barrels, Inc. runs through June 14th. The EPA will consider adverse comments or any new information before making a final decision.
The State of Michigan concurs with the proposed Superfund deletion.