[CPEO-BIF] TCE delays Charlottesville (VA) housing project

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Chemicals change housing plan

By John Yellig
Charlottesville Daily Progress (VA)
June 28, 2005


The Piedmont Housing Alliance had to take its plans for an
affordable-housing development in the Fifeville neighborhood back to the
drawing board after a routine environmental survey revealed the
groundwater is contaminated with an industrial-strength cleaning solvent.

While the chemical, trichloroethylene, isn't concentrated enough to
require extensive clean up, the housing alliance nevertheless
volunteered to take steps to protect those most vulnerable to it: the
construction workers who will build the development.

The chemical is in the water table, about 3 to 6 feet beneath the
surface. Workers would only come in contact with it if they were digging
a foundation.

To avoid this, Charlottesville architect Bill Atwood suggested building
on top of the earth. Under his plan, concrete will be poured into a
weight-bearing form called a ?waffle slab.? It will seal off the exposed
earth at the site, which is a small block bordered by Grove, King, Ninth
and 10th streets.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783536326&path=!news
You may need to cut and paste the URL.
-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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