By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Border Patrol’s target shooting range in Nogales is contaminated with lead and arsenic and will soon undergo a $3.7 million cleanup to mitigate the environmental and health hazards, the Associated Press reports.
Border Patrol leases the privately owned shooting range and has used it from 1992 to 2010.
Now crews will remediate the contamination by digging it out of the soil and sending it to a landfill.
“It’s definitely the right thing to do, and it’s something they should have done, and I’m glad they’re doing it. It’s not unexpected,” said Cyndi Tuell, a Sierra Club volunteer with expertise on how Border Patrol policies affect the environment.
A report from the Corps of Engineers said there was a risk of contamination at the location.
“The remedial approach is protective of human health and the environment, complies with legally applicable federal and state requirements, and is moderately cost-effective,” the report states.
