Greenwich Votes $1.2M for Toxic Soil Cleanup

GREENWICH, Conn. – Greenwich’s Representative Town Meeting voted Monday night to approve funding to clean up contaminated soil at Greenwich High School.

Only 13 members of the 165-member body voted against spending $1.2 million to fund the cleanup. The money will be independent from funding for the school’s Music Instruction Space and Auditorium project (MISA), and will come out of the town’s capital non-recurring expense account.

During excavation on parking lots for the auditorium project, workers discovered soil that was darker than dirt found earlier in July while excavating the west lot at the school, prompting immediate environmental testing. All work was stopped, and the area was covered and closed off.

Testing in surrounding areas revealed low levels of lead, arsenic, barium, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) and petroleum hydrocarbons. The school’s athletic fields were also closed, forcing teams to practice on middle school and elementary school fields.

At a public forum at Greenwich High School earlier this month, environmental experts said the cleanup would involve removing soil in areas around the athletic fields and replacing it with clean fill.

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