Excavation to remove toxic contamination at the former Sherwin-Williams site is scheduled to begin today.

The former paint factory at 1450 Sherwin Street and an adjacent parcel cover a combined 10 acres. The city has approved a project for approximately 500 residential units plus office and retail space in four separate buildings to be built by Lennar Multifamily Communities (LMC).

From 1919 to 2006 the site was a Sherwin-Williams manufacturing plant that manufactured paints and coatings. The factory also made pesticides from the 1920s until the late 1940s and the operation left behind contaminated soil and groundwater.

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“Based on the results of soil sampling work conducted in 2017, the Department of Toxic Substances Control is requiring excavation of two hot spots of soil contaminated with arsenic, lead, and naphthalene,” according to a work notice provided by the DTSC. The remediation will be conducted by Lennar under the oversight of DTSC.

Work is required to be performed between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and will also include removal of a concrete pad and relocation of groundwater monitoring wells, with steps taken to contain contaminated soil.

It is estimated that about 200 cubic yards (equivalent to 14 truckloads) of contaminated soil will be excavated and taken to a permitted disposal facility, according to DTSC. Removal of the concrete slab will require about 100 more truckloads, also to be trucked offsite to a permitted recycling or disposal facility.

The site will then be reevaluated to determine if there is more contaminated soil requiring excavation. Construction on the project is estimated to begin in October  contingent upon approval of the soil management workplan from DTSC.