EPA provides public with update on investigation into former Erie Coke Corporation building

The Erie Coke Corporation’s investigation into the contamination continued Thursday evening.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informed the public about the current soil samples being taken in the area surrounding the former industrial site.

The EPA held its hearing at East Middle School on Wednesday evening, where it outlined the soil sampling process and study area for its 2024 field sampling plan.

The Erie Coke Corporation abruptly closed its doors in December 2019 after a long history of environmental violations.

Earlier this year, the Erie Port Authority and the Erie County Redevelopment Authority voted to expropriate the property, triggering a lengthy process to investigate and remediate the dangerous site.

On Thursday, the EPA announced to the public its plan to take soil samples in the community surrounding the property.

“We’re looking for contaminants that can be traced directly back to the Erie Coke plant, things that were produced during the Coca-Cola era,” says Katie Page, EPA’s citizen engagement coordinator.

Page said the EPA is looking for inorganic metals and other chemicals found in coke emissions.

The EPA measured soil samples outside the Erie Coke Corporation and in surrounding residential areas.

The study area extends from Bayfront Parkway east to Hess Avenue and the land south of the factory to East 3rd Street with approximately 100 homes within the study area.

“We’re starting with a fairly small study area now, just to get a sense of whether there’s something here, rather than starting with a large area and finding that we don’t really see anything,” Page said.

At the hearing, the public was invited to meet the sampling team and ask questions about the soil sampling process.

A scientist who will take the samples said the process begins with collecting the dirt, which is then mixed in a plastic bag before the contents are examined.

“Once the sample is in the bag, we would scan it with the XRAF, the X-ray fluorescence scanner. This is a simple fume hood that uses X-rays to analyze the soil for inorganic heavy metals,” said Aidan Tierney, environmental engineering scientist at Tetra Tech.

The EPA will collect data from the soil samples to decide whether the study area needs to be expanded for further research.

If you live within the boundaries of the study area and would like to have samples taken from your yard, you can visit the EPA website here.