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Cleaning 14 Acres of The Uniroyal Site Might Cost $25M

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As the Free Press points out today, people call the whole vacant area west of the Belle Isle bridge the Uniroyal site. But when it comes to the clean up that was estimated to cost $20 M, they are only working on 14 acres and that is not even the piece where the big Uniroyal factory stood. Robert Lee, supervisor of environmental management and resources at DTE Energy, is now saying just that portion might cost $25 M.
This westernmost third of the site is the most contaminated, and what was in the ground included tar remaining in an old gas holder that had simply been filled in. The gas company equipment and buildings were demolished in the 1950s, and some of that material was dumped in the gas holder as well. Other debris and purification waste, including cyanide, was also left behind.All told, this is supposed to take 18 months and should be done by the end of the year; there are on-going negotiations to clean up the "cleaner" part that is the rest of this site (about 29 more acres). · Barbara Arrigo: Digging up dirt at the Uniroyal site for a brighter riverfront future [Freep]
· Why The $15-20 M Uniroyal Tire Plant Clean Up is a Big Deal [Curbed Detroit]