OLYMPIA, Wash.-Central Washington has a rich agricultural history, one that could lead to increased lead and arsenic levels as housing developments continue to be built on former orchards.
According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, old orchards that are now being developed, particularly in Chelan and Yakima Counties, may have left behind unsafe levels of lead and arsenic in the soil.
Lead arsenate, one of the pesticides used in apple and pear growing in Central Washington in the early 1900’s built up in the soil and turned into lead and arsenic that is now spread over 100,000 acres of former orchards, according to Ecology.
Developers and builders can take certain steps to keep workers and the community safe during the development of old orchards.
The Department of Ecology offers an online map for developers to check an address and see if it used to be an orchard.If the land to be developed was an orchard Ecology will test it for free.Clean up contaminated soil using one of four approved methods, including removal, covering, moving and covering or mixing with clean soil.Developers and builders are responsible for telling potential buyers about contamination and how it was cleaned up.Cleanup efforts must be reported. When cleanup is done information for developments or individual homes must be submitted to ecology.Developers must also ensure that their workers have the proper training and gear to safely work with contaminated soil.
