The tests measure lead and arsenic levels. The toxins were deposited by a smelter that ceased operations in 1908. EPA project manager Sabrina Forrest says a tool called a slam bar is used to collect outdoor soil.
Sept. 9: Tests Find Arsenic, Lead In Pueblo Soil
"It’s about one inch in diameter and we slam that down to about 18 inches and then we have this nice core that we can lay out horizontally on a table and we can measure out the different intervals that we want to put into sample baggies," she said.
Forrest says sampling will continue as necessary. It could extend beyond 2016 to determine where clean up is required from smelter-related contamination.
