Detroit adjusts process for testing quality of dirt used at demolition sites
The city of Detroit is tightening its vetting process for fill dirt used at demolition sites.
This comes as the quality of the dirt at hundreds of these sites came into question following investigations by the Office of the Inspector General and the Detroit Police Department. It used to be on contractors to bring dirt sources to the city for them to review and approve. Now the city is going out to these sources themselves to make sure the fill dirt they're bringing in meets their quality standards.
"We test for over 100 different chemical compounds to ensure that the material meets the standards of the state's residential cleanup criteria," said Tim Palazzolo, director of the City of Detroit Construction and Demolition Department.
The city says it is now the one testing this material before it ever leaves the source.
"We are conducting chemical testing of the material at the pits before it ever leaves the source to ensure we're getting the highest quality materials being shipped to our demolition sites in the City of Detroit," Palazzolo said.
The city says it cut the number of approved sources from 14 to seven to make that testing more manageable.
"This series of controls really makes it a lot more consistent in terms of the quality of product that we're getting and bringing into the city," Palazzolo said.
The city says it'll test the dirt again at the demolition site to ensure it matches the tests done at the source. A map on the city's website shows where testing is happening and the results.
"We are engaging with the sources ourselves. We are working with them to test the material on the site before it gets off the site and heads to our demolitions," Palazzolo said.
The city is also testing these sources more frequently, once a month, which used to be just once a year.