KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — There appears to be growing support for a plan to compromise over the clean-up of the Allied Paper dumpsite. Its now called “Alternative 2d”
Some still would prefer that all the contaminated soil be dug up and hauled to a landfill, but at a cost of well over 200-million dollars, it just isn’t likely.
The compromise would pile up all the contaminated soil on one 27 acre spot on the 80 acre site and cap it with a big plastic bag at a cost of 63-million. It makes the remaining property available for retail or industry and all of it available for recreation.
EPA Project manager Michael Berkoff says it satisfies a lot of issues without breaking the bank.Mayor Bobby Hopewell says the EPA’s other alternative is to cap it in place, and leave it fenced off forever.
The EPA still has a lot of determinations to make and a process to follow which could take the rest of this year. Actual implementation could take as long as five years.
