Ohio officials are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for federal aid to help them clean up a public park in Miami Township. Layer Park remains closed after environmental officials found unacceptably high levels of lead in the soil.
The Ohio EPA had performed tests of the park’s soil in 2013, but not until earlier this year did township officials inform them that the park was once the site of an outdoor skeet shooting range, according to agency spokesman James Lee. The park will remain closed until further notice by state and local health officials.
According to Amy Wiedeman, assistant administrator for Ohio’s Montgomery County, the land was an active shooting range from the 1930s to the 1950s. It was donated to the county in 1972 and is now shared with the township.
Environmental officials have yet to determine the potential costs of lead cleanup on the land. Officials from the U.S. EPA say that if a responsible party cannot be determined, the agency will use their appropriated funds to address the contamination.
Indoor and outdoor firing ranges operate across the United States for recreational firearm use and self-defense practice. Spending too much time at these ranges, however, can have significant health and environmental effects. Contamination from lead-based ammunition can cause inhalation of airborne lead particles by both workers and customers at these ranges. As seen in the case of the Ohio park, it can also create environmental hazards.
To encourage personal health and environmental safety, the EPA has issued best management practices for outdoor firing ranges.MT2 feels it crucial to provide remediation services to firing ranges. Many laws are now in place about lead management. Firearm safety is not only about the gun.
Contact us to learn more about how MT2 can make your range lead free or put you back on the road to safety.
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