Contaminated Soil Found at Connecticut High School Construction Area

A high school in Greenwich, Conn., was recently found to have contaminated soil, according to the Greenwich Post’s website.

In a report released late last week by outside consultants AECOM, high concentrations of metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found in the soil in the footprint of a construction site; the recommendation was to remove layers of soil from the area.

Two of those samples, which were collected 2 ft to 7 ft below ground, found PCB levels well above what is considered safe. One sample found the level at 87.2 mg per kg of soil and the other had it at 72.7 mg.

Any level above 50 mg per kg is considered to be "PCB remediation waste" and must be removed. If levels are found under those levels, it would still need to be dealt with but that could be done as part of the regular construction. These levels mean the remediation must take place before the construction can proceed on a music instructional space and auditorium project for the high school.

Arsenic and lead were also detected in the soil. AECOM is also recommending that tests be conducted to see if there is any contamination of groundwater.

Source: Greenwich Post