Heavy-metals work
River cleanup along Harvard Road Bridge netting contaminated dirt
Heavy equipment is hard at work on the north bank of the Spokane River next to the Harvard Road Bridge as 100 years of heavy-metal contaminants are being hauled away.
The site west of the bridge is heavily used by kayakers and fishermen, who will have to go elsewhere for about a month while the area is shut down for cleanup. Tests of the soil found high levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and zinc, said environmental engineer Zach Hedgpeth of the Department of Ecology.
In some areas the lead was up to 800 parts per million, above the standard of 700 ppm. Arsenic levels were also high. “They’re all of concern,” he said.
Some of the highest levels were for zinc, which came in at 3,500 ppm. The standard is between 500 and 1,000 ppm.