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The implications of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon soil cleanup standards at vacant residential properties in Milwaukee, Wisconsin : a report submitted to the faculty of the Milwaukee School of Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering / by Karen Dettmer, P.E.

by Dettmer, Karen, author., Milwaukee School of Engineering

Soil remediation -- Standards.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Environmental law -- Wisconsin

Environmental law -- Illinois

Environmental law -- Ohio

Urban gardening

167 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm.

Introduction -- Background -- Literature review -- Methods and materials -- Results and discussion -- Conclusions and recommendations -- Appendix A: historic checks for seven vacant residential properties in Milwaukee, WI -- B: laboratory analytical results for seven vacant residential properties in Milwaukee, WI.

The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin has experienced an increase in the number of foreclosures since the economic recession that began in December 2008. The availability of small, vacant residential lots prompted Milwaukee officials to promote the use of these properties for urban gardens, providing a benefit to neighborhoods rather than a blighting influence. The local food movement has created an interest in urban gardening, but has also revealed concerns on the safety of urban soil. This concern has impelled gardeners to sample soil in an effort to cut down the cost of bringing clean soil, while ensuring gardeners are not exposed to harmful impacts. Wisconsin's low regulatory thresholds for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can result in regulatory action for sites with no known source release, causing property owners to be wary of sampling in fear of a costly cleanup action.

To illustrate how conservative soil cleanup standards for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the state of Wisconsin are, seven vacant residential properties in the city of Milwaukee were sampled. Analytical data for PAHs in the near surface soil, or direct contact zone, were compared to standards in Ohio and Illinois. Analytical results showed regulatory action would be taken on seven of seven sites based on Wisconsin standards, while Ohio and Illinois standards would result in regulatory action on only four of seven sites. Based on the individual sample results on each site, remedial costs for these sites if they were located in Ohio or Illinois would be 40% less than the cost of remediation in Wisconsin. These results present an opportunity for Wisconsin regulatory authorities to review justifications for increasing low thresholds for PAH concentrations in near surface soil.

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