Cleanup is already underway at the old Fairfax Street Wood Treaters facility in Durkeeville, and the EPA says it should be complete within six to nine months.
This includes areas around the now-defunct site, including dozens of homes and Susie E. Tolbert Elementary School.
The EPA says for 30 years, operations at the plant resulted in arsenic contamination of nearby soil and water.
Neighbors who live in the area claim they and their families have been poisoned by the toxins.
The EPA says the cleanup will be tactful, and that contractors will use water to keep contaminants from spreading.
Contaminated soil will be transported to landfills in Georgia and Alabama.
Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection will be excavating soil at Susie E Tolbert this month during Spring Break.
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