Brownfield Site in Gary to Become Urban Forest

How can a toxic, Superfund brownfield site that was once a bustling hosiery factory cleanse its past and start anew?

An article in the Post-Tribune explains how Fresh Coast Capital LLC and Delta Institute are working together to plant poplar and cottonwood trees to improve the landscape and cleanse the soil at a vacant site in Gary, Indiana.

City Councilwoman Carolyn Roger, D-4th, shares that she has been working on this site since she was elected in 2000. While phytoremediation wasn’t the first option considered by locals for the contaminated site, it was the best option.

Eve Pytel explains through the use of phytoremediation on this toxic site, the fast-growing poplar and cottonwood trees can absorb petroleum in the soil and stabilize it. The site will be re-evaluated in 15 years for its future potential uses.

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