The Environmental Protection Agency has had trouble gaining clearances to go onto properties and remove lead-contaminated soil from area residences.
Officials said Tuesday that some residents haven't granted the agency permission to remove contaminated soil from their property for a number of reasons, including ongoing environmental lawsuits and competing EPA efforts.
Katrina Jones, who oversees the Anniston Lead Site for the EPA, said that not having the clearances slows the process.
"We can clean up problems fairly quickly, but it depends on access," Jones said.
For now, the EPA has completed removing contaminated soil from three sites in West Anniston, including Gunter-Tarrent Park.
There are 141 sites in Anniston identified as having high levels of lead in the soil. EPA officials said the agency will focus on removing lead from 15 sites with the highest levels of lead, then return to remove soil from the rest of the sites.
Residences with lead levels higher than 1,200 parts per million were given first priority as they present the greatest risk to children and pregnant women. Jones said one Anniston residence had lead levels that peaked at 4,300 parts per million.
Jones said lead removal costs approximately $20,000 per residence but sometimes costs less depending on what has to be done. The project is paid for by Superfund.
One of the first residences to be cleaned up was that of Martha Austin, who lives on Pine Avenue.
Her back yard looked like a huge, earthen sandbox as workers removed contaminated soil Tuesday.
Workers will remove contaminated soil from Austin's property and replace it with clean soil. Then they will place a layer of sod over the clean soil.
Austin stopped her grandchildren from playing in her back yard after she found out about the lead. She said wanted the cleanup done because "sometimes I have my grandchildren over here, and it will make the property look better."
Anniston's lead problem dates back to the 1860s and stems from the city's history as a hub for foundries, pipe fitters and other industries. The lead was discovered when officials were testing for PCBs last year.
Anniston Mayor Chip Howell said the lead removal should open up more areas for consideration during the Jimmy Carter Work Project in 2004.
If residences in economically depressed areas have no lead contamination, they could be considered for inclusion in the work project's effort to revitalize parts of Anniston.
"You've heard of the light at the end of the tunnel," Howell said. "We've found the tunnel. We can see a way of healing. It didn't happen overnight, and it won't be fixed overnight."
