Following a briefing by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Alderman Danny Solis is announcing the formation of a Community Outreach Partnership to address the environmental and health concerns of lead contamination. The EPA met with 25th Ward Ald. Solis about the results of an initial soil sampling taken on December 19, 2012 in the alley connecting Loomis Street and Throop Street south of West 21st Street and north of West Cermak Road.

The EPA sampling is part of an assessment to determine if lead and other metals may have settled on the soil from industrial activity over the years and pose an unacceptable health risk to people who live in the area. The alley is adjacent to an operating lead smelting facility. The initial sampling indicates high levels of lead in the soil of that particular alley.

“We are looking at a number of options to protect the children and families of the neighborhood from any potential contaminants. Safety is my number one priority and I want to work with all of the stakeholders to ensure that we are doing everything we can to remedy any potential threats,” said Ald. Solis.

Ald. Solis is announcing his plans to work with the EPA, the Chicago Department of Public Health, PERRO and residents to sample the soil of a few nearby properties. The community outreach partnership will host a community forum to inform residents of the findings of the assessment and to answer any questions they might have. For more information regarding environmental issues in Little Village and Pilsen, please visit http://www.epa.gov/region5/littlevillagepilsen/.