Conclusive testing to begin on Dunbar toxic dump site

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The area bounded in red shows the site in Dunbar where sludge from a water treatment plant was disposed of.

FORT MYERS, Fla. Testing designed to show what, if any, toxins remain in a former toxic dump site in Dunbar will get underway at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

GFA International Inc., a geology firm contracted with the city of Fort Myers, will conduct the tests in the area near homes where arsenic was found in 2007.

Earlier work on the site, done with a ground-penetrating radar, will only give insight on the depth of the soil and any objects in it. The more conclusive testing was supposed to begin in September, but Hurricane Irma forced its postponement.

Members of the community have been demanding answers in the months since the 2007 arsenic discovery was made public, and some plan to sue.

MORE: Former toxic dump site sits near Dunbar homes

Arsenic showed up in the groundwater as recently as 2012, but the latest Department of Environmental Protection tests showed no remaining hazardous levels of arsenic or threat to the groundwater.

Still, the outcry led the city to arrange for the tests.

The area is bounded by Henderson Avenue on the west, Midway Avenue on the east, Jeffcott Street on the south and South Street on the north. Sludge from a city water treatment plant was disposed of there for decades until a new water plant was built.

MORE: Fort Myers mayor at loss over why dump site was secret

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