Westgate Village gets deal from Ohio EPA

8/24/2009

Toledo s Westgate Village Shopping Center has been given a clean bill of health from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The state agency announced late Friday it has granted the shopping center, Costco Wholesale Corp., and the city of Toledo a covenant not to sue after the owners voluntarily cleaned up the site at 3301 West Central Ave.

Soil and ground water were found in 2008 to be contaminated by a hazardous dry cleaning solvent called tetracholoroethylene, also known as perc or TCE. By-products also were found, as was acetone.

Some soil was excavated, even though none of the contaminants in it was found to exceed the risk standard for direct human contact, the agency said.

The covenant obtained by the parties is an important legal document for redeveloping the site. It releases them from liability as cleanup standards are tightened.

The property was used for residential and agricultural purposes before it was converted into a retail strip mall in 1956. It is in the process of being redeveloped.