LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Lockport neighborhood received letters from the EPA saying their properties are contaminated with lead, but one neighbor tells 7 News she was stunned to hear it could take 4-7 years to clean up.
Cindy Bucolo has experienced loss at an alarming rate, her husband, both of her in-laws, and several of her late husband’s siblings have all died from cancer. What they all have in common, living in the same Lockport home for much of their lives.
“I cried because I am alone. I don’t have my husband here to help me, and he probably died because of the contamination,” Cindy said. “I cry every night, I hate to come home, I don’t even want to walk in my house.”
Cindy received a letter from the US Environmental Protection Agency that she feels explains the constant health concerns her family has experienced. Inside that letter, was a map of lead contamination all over her family’s property.
Her Clinton Street home sits just a few blocks from the sight of the former Flintkote plant, an EPA spokesperson says they have been working to clean that Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund site and the surrounding area since 2016.
When Cindy got word of the contamination, she wanted it removed as soon as possible, but the timeline she tells 7 News she got from the EPA was anything but quick.
“It looks like it’s going to be 4-7 years from now,” Cindy said.
EPA public affairs officer Michael Basile tells 7 News that Cindy’s property is one of dozens contaminated and waiting for remediation, but those properties are safe to be lived on until cleaned up.
“This is a large undertaking, and we are doing it in phases… We, at the federal level, want to make sure these people have a clean property to live on,” Basile said. “The majority of contamination is probably below six inches of topsoil on the property. It should have no impact on the people living on the property.”
He recommended that any digging the yard, whether that be for home repairs, gardening, or anything else should be followed by thorough washing of any body parts or clothes that came in contact with the soil.
Cindy, along with several other residents, will be taking their questions to the EPA during a city council meeting Wednesday.
