Finalizing a plan to clean up toxic sludge site in Fort Myers drags on

Neighbors living around an arsenic-filled sludge site for years are losing hope in the city of Fort Myers’ promises to get it cleaned up.

The city used a field bounded by Henderson Avenue on the west, Midway Avenue on the east, Jeffcott Street on the south and South Street on the north, to dump sludge for decades in the 1960s.

The sludge was from a water treatment plant. Arsenic was discovered at the site in 2007, and in the groundwater there in 2012, but those results didn’t become public until early 2017.

It could potentially cost millions of dollars to cleanup the South Street site,and the City has it in the budget and discussed it monday.

“Is there any money included in there for the clean up the sludge site? it’s in the capital project,” asked Fort Myers City Councilman Fred Burson at the meeting. The city attorney replied “4.5?”

Neighbor Luetricia Freeman shared her skepticism, “When I see that stuff moving, then I’m gonna believe it, that they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. I know it’s gonna be expensive to move it but it’s not our fault. it’s their fault.”

Mayor Henderson said “Once, twice a week I’m served in the mayor’s office on this or that. We’re not a perfect institution, we make mistakes. We step up and do the responsible thing, but I don’t see it slowing down.”

The City promises to have the site cleaned up by the end of the year. Leaders say they’re 90 percent done with a clean up plan, decades after it was dumped there, but it’s remained at 90 percent for nearly a month.

Freeman said “It seems like they’re taking a long time to do what they gotta do, but it took them a short time to put it there.”

Neighbor Rickey Rogers said, “With the lawsuit we’re gonna continue to fight. I know they’re trying to sweep up under the rug, but that’s not gonna happen. We gonna fight”

The City also said they’re deciding between three options with different costs for the sludge site.

An answer on the decision is expected by the end of september when the budget is approved.