Contaminated Soil?
PcolaGrower
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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bau the man (uk, bristol,zone 7a)
7 years agobau the man (uk, bristol,zone 7a)
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Planting potatoes contaminate soil?
Comments (4)The only way potatoes could "contaminate the soil" would be if the potatoes were already contaminated with something when planted. Sounds as if your wife "read something" about potatoes infected with Late Blight (as in the Irish Potato Famine in the 1800's) and then either ignored or didn't understand the context of the discussion. Either way, if you use fresh seed potatoes, it isn't relevant. Millions of us grow potatoes in our gardens every year with no problems. Dave...See MoreContaminated soil
Comments (14)I can probably find out some laboratories for you if you actually want to run tests (if you let me know where you are located). My email is in my page. Also, i would suggest you do the test at 3 depths to pin down where the contamination may reside, maybe 1 ft down, 2.5 ft down, and 5 ft down. VOC samples can cost around $80 bucks a piece. There may be some more inexpensive test kits that can provide an indication of contamination without specific results of the individual compounds. You can call pine environmental, who is an equipment supplier to the environmental remediation industry and pick their brains. They also have field screening equipment available for rent (and they ship)....See MorePossibly Contaminated Soil- Advice needed!
Comments (9)My first reaction is, Wow! The situation you described reminds me of Woburn, MA. My next reaction is to tell you relax, and focus on getting quality answers from reliable sources. There are too many variables for anyone without specific knowledge of your situation to suggest what you should do. Questions like when did it happen, what was(were) the primary contaminant(s), where did it occur, what testing was done then and what were the results, what corrective action and remediation followed, has there been any monitoring since, etc., all come to immediate mind. Other questions will follow. Also, how did you learn about the history - was it disclosed in real estate transaction, or did you learn of it from others afterwards? As far as getting answers, I would start with your state's department of environmental quality or natural resources or whatever it's called to get answers to the historical questions. If there was a Superfund site involved then there should be EPA records. You may be able to access some of that with good searching of their sites (which are typically convoluted). Was there a lawsuit ? If so that may be another source of info. Your goal is to get an accurate picture of what happened, and what specific contaminants were involved. As far as testing, yes there are many labs that will do the kinds of tests that would be appropriate. Find them by looking/searching for "environmental testing laboratories", Here is one example located in the NE. But a warning - those kinds of tests are typically quite expensive -- hundreds to thousands per test - and you need to know exactly what you are looking/testing for. First, seek accurate information, unembellished by emotion or agenda. Once you have the answers you can add your own emotion afterwards. As far as gardening, do you have a local county ag extension office? How about a Master Gardeners group? Any gardening clubs? If so, they may be able to guide you on the risks and what is known as far as the pertinent concerns. If you are at all concerned, then until you have some answers go with raised beds with "imported soil" and containers. Enjoy the gardening while you look for answers. This post was edited by TXEB on Sun, Apr 28, 13 at 10:29...See Morecontaminated soil
Comments (1)You know....they use bacteria to help clean up oils spills, haz mat spills, etc. Problem is, I have no idea which bacteria they use. I've also heard things about "rockdust" as a fertilizer for soil like you're talking about. It's too bad you can't just set it on fire. Fire damage in the wild is supposed to help new growth. I'm totally talking out of my a^* on that 'cause I know nothing about it except that forestry divisions will sometimes do this on purpose for that reason. So one would assume that it would have the same effect at home in a controlled environment. If nothing else, I'm sure you could get slapped with all kinds of fines for attempting it anyway, so that's probably moot. Since the tree roots are right there, I would go for the Rockdust. It's supposed to supply all kinds of 'trace' elements, promoting bacterial growth, that in turn breaks down the chemical spill in soil. I think they tried this at Chernyoble (sp?). Hope this helps....See Morebau the man (uk, bristol,zone 7a)
7 years agofungus
7 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
7 years agoPcolaGrower
7 years agogorbelly
7 years agocentexan254 zone 8 Temple, Tx
7 years agoSeysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
7 years agoPcolaGrower
7 years ago
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