Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Sunday, August 5, 2012
(FRANKLIN) - Thousands of tons of dirt will be removed from under and around two Franklin homes and a park in order to clear the area of contaminated soil deep underground.
Duke Energy is cleaning up the land around two homes on S. Home Ave. and the nearby Province Park.
The land was once the site of a manufactured gas plant, where coal was used to produce gas for lighting homes and businesses as early as the 1870s. Part of that process is the production of tar which was stored in wells buried deep underground.
When those plants closed, the tar was often not removed and was left underground. It eventually seeps out and contaminates the soil, Duke Energy project managers Pat McKee said.
Unburned coal is also sometimes left.
In order to remove all of the contamination found in testing by the utility, the cleanup will require the removal of 9,000 tons of dirt and a dig 18 feet deep, he said.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.