Clean Up Of Car Works Site Begin

Clean Up Of Car Works Site Begins

The long awaited clean up of the old Car Works property is underway. The 100 acre site, which was once on the Federal Superfund List, has been the point of discussion for Lenoir City officials for many years. It has been hoped that the site could be cleaned up and used for development. At a public meeting held at city hall Monday by TDEC, it was announced that the clean up has begun. This would be the first step in returning the land to productivity. Officials from TDEC reported that the main contaminations on the site were lead and arsenic. The officials stated that the clean up would consist mostly of capping the more contaminated areas with up to two feet of clay making the property safe for future development. Estimates of the cost of the clean up have been put at 1.2 million dollars. This cost to be paid by Norfolk Southern. The city has hoped to buy the property from the railroad.

The Lenoir Car Works began operations in 1893 manufacturing train cars and components and continued in operations in some form until 1985.