Got Pollution? City wants to help.

Local businesses on toxic soil could get money to study environmental hazards

Excerpts from an article by Corey Young
Published in the Argus-Courier Wednesday, Jan 3, 2007

Property owners in Petaluma who’ve had trouble expanding or redeveloping the use of their land because of underground pollution could get a hand from City Hall.

Backed by $400,000 in grants from the Environmental Protection Agency, the city will be knocking on the doors of [landowners] with potential environmental problems on their property, asking if the sites can be studied further.

And, if environmental contamination is found – for example, in the soil under a former gas station – the next step could be cleaning up the property, if another federal grant is secured.

Project manager Jeanne Miche said removing pollution from sites around town could boost efforts to redevelop property, something that might be too expensive if property owners have to pay for the cleanup themselves.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for property owners who wish to redevelop their property,” she said.

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