DEP rejects city plan for toxic Dunbar site

The Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday rejected the City of Fort Myers' proposed test plan for its toxic lime sludge site in Dunbar.

Purchased in 1962 to dispose of water treatment waste, the lots bounded by Henderson Avenue and South Street were unfenced and minimally tested, exposing children to toxic soil and families to polluted runoff until a News-Press report spurred the city and DEP into action

In a memo to City Manager Saeed Kazemi, the DEP stated that its review of the plan showed the city did not meet all of the requirements under its regulations.

It catalogued over a dozen issues that must be addressed.

The plan developed by GFA International omitted tests for federal and state primary and secondary drinking water contaminants.