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EPA Tests Water and Soil Near Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge

Release Date: 2/17/2000
Contact Information: Ruth Podems, (215) 814-5540

Ruth Podems, 215-814-5540

Milton, Sussex County, DE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will sample for lead contamination on a private property next to a skeet shooting range that has already contaminated the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Sussex County

At the request of the property owner, EPA will check drinking water and soil to see if lead from the shooting range has affected hers and neighboring properties. The sampling begins today. EPA will be mapping other private properties in the area to request access for further sampling.

Residents have raised concern because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has recently been investigating lead contamination within the wildlife refuge boundaries. Lead pellets from the shooting range have been landing in the wildlife refuge for years.

The USFWS has recently submitted results of their investigation and a proposed cleanup plan to the EPA. While sampling of the refuge continues, the first priority is to remove the pellets so lead does not leach into the soil. Then, more soil sampling will be done to determine if excavation is necessary.

In the meantime, the EPA will be sending letters to nearby residents requesting access to their property to test for lead contamination in their soil and drinking water.

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