WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Residents along Thomas Street are once again upset with the city after workers began digging in the area without a water tanker to wet down the soil and minimize the potential for toxins to drift.
According to the Wausau Pilot and Review, the work was done by AECOM on Tuesday but was put on hold after a resident called in a complaint. Mayor Robert Mielke said the city would make sure a truck is put in place before work continues.
Workers were reportedly doing excavation work on bio-filtration ponds along with soil testing.
Residents have expressed concerns over dioxins in the area, which the city has been told are present. During a presentation with Department of Health Services toxicology experts in May it was revealed that the greatest danger from the dioxins in the area comes from ingesting them directly. Experts said someone would need to be ingesting the soil on a daily basis over the course of several years to begin to see negative side effects.
Mielke said the city will continue to take steps to protect residents in the area as they continue to prepare the area for reconstruction, although DHS has not directly told the city that any action is needed.
