EPA completes lead cleanup at three city locations
Nov 18, 2024
The Environmental Protection Agency completed cleanup work at two parks and a former library in East Trenton after discovering lead contamination in January 2024.
Tests showed lead levels above 200 milligrams per kilogram in the soil at Sonny Vereen Playground, Breunig Avenue Park, and the former East Trenton Library on North Clinton Avenue.
The EPA installed signs, conducted education programs, and put measures in place to limit contact with contaminated soil. Teams went door-to-door to inform residents about lead risks.
Breunig Avenue Park reopened October 21 after workers installed protective soil covers, clean soil, grass, and mulch. Sonny Vereen Playground remains closed while new grass grows. Work at the library site finished October 22.
The cleanup serves as an interim solution until permanent measures can be implemented. The EPA proposed the sites for the National Priorities list on September 5, 2024.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Environmental Protection Agency for their swift and thorough response to lead contamination in East Trenton,” said Mayor W. Reed Gusciora. “Their collaboration with the City, our neighborhoods, and local schools, has been invaluable in ensuring that this critical work was completed with minimal disruption to the community.”
The EPA continues to offer free soil testing to East Trenton residents. For information, contact EPA Coordinator Jon Byk at 347-899-6210 or visit https://response.epa.gov/Historic_Potteries_RV2.