(Photo: Violet Ikonomova/Deadline Detroit)
The Guardian, a British publication with correspondents in the U.S., examines Detroit’s brewing scandal over contaminated dirt being used to fill sites of demolished homes.
Tom Perkins, a local correspondent for The Guardian, writes:
Hundreds of Detroit home demolition sites were potentially backfilled with toxic construction debris from a demolished shopping mall and other sources, creating an unfolding public health threat in the city’s neighborhoods...
Despite repeated requests from the Guardian, Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration and state regulators have so far not disclosed which toxins have been detected. Independent environmental health experts and a former regulator say lead, mercury, cadmium, PAHs, and asbestos – chemicals that are toxic at very low exposure levels – are likely in the type of slag used to backfill the neighborhood sites.
The story suggests Mayor Mike Duggan could have prevented the latest round of problems when in 2018 federal authorities scrutinized the use of contaminated dirt.
“Regardless, it’s mismanagement because clearly they had knowledge in 2017, and before that, that contaminated fill was coming in, and they haven’t fixed the problem,” Steven Hoin, a former geologist with the Michigan department of environment, Great Lakes and energy (EGLE), who worked on previous Detroit demolition remediations, told The Guardian. “I’m not sure if it was competence, or ‘we don’t care about the protocol because we want to get the demos done in time.’”
In a statement to the Guardian, Duggan administration spokesperson John Roach said contaminated backfill dirt is a problem around the country, and the suggestion that the issues in Detroit reflect bad city management “is false”.
“The only reason this has come to light is because of the City of Detroit’s investigation and testing,” Roach said. “It’s not possible to prevent all unscrupulous contractors from using bad soil, but no one has been more effective than the City of Detroit at holding them accountable when they do.” Roach said the test results will be publicly released.
Updated: 7:45 p.m., Monday: Roach told Deadline Detroit:
"We’ve removed the soil from every site so far that has tested positive."
He said the story "failed to point out that this is in the context of nearly 30,000 demolitions."
The city also has published a list of all 59 locations that so far have tested positive with elevated levels of contaminants. (See list)
The Detroit Free Press reported last week that Duggan, a three-term mayor who is leaving office in days, announced that Detroit police and state environmental regulators are separately investigating two companies believed to have jointly filled hundreds of Detroit demolition sites with toxic dirt—an issue that could cost the city millions of dollars to clean up.
The Freep also reported:
An “intensive” and ongoing criminal investigation into potential fraud by Detroit-based Gayanga Co. has identified 49 demolition sites where the contractor may have used toxic dirt, in addition to 58 the city says it already found contaminated, Detroit Police Deputy Chief Kari Sloan said. Duggan said he requested the police investigation in September after the Detroit Office of the Inspector General found the contractor may have intentionally used backfill from unapproved sources.
Separately, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says it is coordinating with Detroit officials to evaluate the activities of Oakland County-based Iron Horse of Michigan Inc. after Duggan said the city found it sourced potentially toxic dirt to Gayanga and three other contractors responsible for 424 demolitions.
The Detroit Inspector General's Office in September suspended Gayanga from doing work with the city after finding contaminated dirt at 42 of 47 sites where Gayanga filled in demolitions. The dirt exceeded state pollution standards. Of those sites, 62 percent were found “unsafe for direct human contact.”
To read the complete story click here.
