EPA completes $5.5 million cleanup of Tremont/Clark Field site in Cleveland
For Immediate Release No. 20-OPA-030
CLEVELAND (Nov. 12, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed an estimated $5.5 million cleanup of contaminated soil at the Tremont/Clark Field park site in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. The 41.5-acre public park was built on land acquired from the U.S. government in 1949.
“EPA worked closely with the City of Cleveland on this cleanup and now Tremont residents can safely enjoy their neighborhood park,” said Region 5 Administrator Kurt Thiede. “This Administration is committed to picking up the pace of cleanups so that contaminated sites across the country can be returned to productive use.”
In 2013 and 2014, the city found high concentrations of lead, arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, in soil at the park. Due to the contamination, the city stopped issuing permits for organized recreational activities in the park.
In February 2016, the city requested EPA’s assistance to clean up the site. Since then, EPA has removed concrete surfaces and above-ground structures, excavated and re-graded impacted areas, and installed two feet of clean soil as a protective barrier.
Approximately 160,000 cubic yards of clean fill/topsoil were needed to regrade the park. Of that, approximately 35,000 cubic yards was topsoil obtained under an Ohio EPA-permitted program where dredged sediments from the Cleveland Harbor are mixed with organics to create topsoil suitable for unrestricted residential use. Another 95,000 cubic yards of the clean fill came from nearby projects in the city –including the MetroHealth redevelopment project – which helped cut cleanup costs.
For more information: www.epa.gov/oh/tremont-field-site
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