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Toxic Dirt Trucked to Southwest High School?

Piled dirt (covered in plastic) sits near the football field, adjacent to a condo complex
Piled dirt (covered in plastic) sits near the football field, adjacent to a condo complex

A large pile of contaminated dirt was reportedly deposited on the Southwest High School campus in the spring of 2010. After 10News.com reported the story last week, the district shrouded the dirt pile in plastic — and in mystery.

Where did the 10,000 tons of contaminated dirt originate? Sweetwater Union High School interim superintendent Ed Brand told 10News.com on June 15, “I can’t tell you specifically where it came from. I believe it was a group of volunteers that brought the dirt in.”

Several days later, Dianne Russo, interim deputy superintendent for the district, told the Proposition O Bond Oversight Committee that Southland Paving Company put the dirt there and that it was going to cost $498,000 to remove it. Nick Marinovich, the new chair of the oversight committee, has stated that the money will not come from Prop O funding.

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A June 26 interview with a spokesperson from Southland Paving contributed to the mystery. The spokesperson, who declined to give her name, said the company did have a contract with Sweetwater to move dirt onto Southwest High School’s campus.

However, the spokesperson said the company tested the soil prior to moving it and that it was not contaminated. She said the company had a copy of the test report and the contract with the district but declined to share them. She also said that other companies dumped dirt on the site. The spokesperson, like the district, declined to say where the soil originated.

District representative Russo was unavailable throughout the day for comment.

The district has yet to release the soil report to the public; however, according to 10News, “Out of 14 samples, 10 show elevated levels of lead, pesticides — including DDT — or petroleum hydrocarbons linked to underground gasoline storage tanks.”

The dirt mound, which is deposited at the rear of Southwest’s football field, abuts the Evergreen Condominium complex. Robert Griffin, an HOA manager for the condos, said in a June 26 interview that he has been receiving calls from residents who are anxious about the toxicity of the dirt. Griffin said he is “in the process of communicating with the district about the problem.”

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Piled dirt (covered in plastic) sits near the football field, adjacent to a condo complex
Piled dirt (covered in plastic) sits near the football field, adjacent to a condo complex

A large pile of contaminated dirt was reportedly deposited on the Southwest High School campus in the spring of 2010. After 10News.com reported the story last week, the district shrouded the dirt pile in plastic — and in mystery.

Where did the 10,000 tons of contaminated dirt originate? Sweetwater Union High School interim superintendent Ed Brand told 10News.com on June 15, “I can’t tell you specifically where it came from. I believe it was a group of volunteers that brought the dirt in.”

Several days later, Dianne Russo, interim deputy superintendent for the district, told the Proposition O Bond Oversight Committee that Southland Paving Company put the dirt there and that it was going to cost $498,000 to remove it. Nick Marinovich, the new chair of the oversight committee, has stated that the money will not come from Prop O funding.

Sponsored
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A June 26 interview with a spokesperson from Southland Paving contributed to the mystery. The spokesperson, who declined to give her name, said the company did have a contract with Sweetwater to move dirt onto Southwest High School’s campus.

However, the spokesperson said the company tested the soil prior to moving it and that it was not contaminated. She said the company had a copy of the test report and the contract with the district but declined to share them. She also said that other companies dumped dirt on the site. The spokesperson, like the district, declined to say where the soil originated.

District representative Russo was unavailable throughout the day for comment.

The district has yet to release the soil report to the public; however, according to 10News, “Out of 14 samples, 10 show elevated levels of lead, pesticides — including DDT — or petroleum hydrocarbons linked to underground gasoline storage tanks.”

The dirt mound, which is deposited at the rear of Southwest’s football field, abuts the Evergreen Condominium complex. Robert Griffin, an HOA manager for the condos, said in a June 26 interview that he has been receiving calls from residents who are anxious about the toxicity of the dirt. Griffin said he is “in the process of communicating with the district about the problem.”

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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