Cleanup of lead pollution in Westside Atlanta neighborhoods is continuing through the winter, but earlier this fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its partners celebrated two significant milestones. At back-to-back events in English Avenue, the federal agency gathered neighbors to celebrate millions of dollars in investments for the cleanup and a job training initiative for local residents.
In front of her freshly manicured lawn, Myrtle Dansby held some mail in her hand as she looked over her screened-in front porch and little yard filled with planter boxes with pink flowers. The house has been in her family for a long time. It’s where she raised her six kids, each of whom she put through college. It was virtually impossible to tell the EPA had just dug up the top two feet of dirt to dig out lead.
“I didn’t know until [about the lead] really they came over and was talking to me about it,” Dansby said. She is one of the homeowners who has already had her property cleaned up and said she was happy to let them do so after learning about the harmful effects of lead.
Read this story for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletters and get unlimited access to WABE.org
We won't share your information with outside organizations Why am I seeing this?
