Glendale property health hazard; TCE exceeds normal concentrations
GLENDALE, Wis. - The North Shore Health Department ordered the evacuation of six brand-new apartments in Glendale after testing showed the elevated presence of trichlorethylene (TCE), a cancer-causing chemical.
The Lydell, (5805 N. Lydell Avenue) was on the Wisconsin DNR's radar. The department deemed it a historic waste site two years ago after the developer found TCE.
The Lydell is billed as luxury living, a label drawing questions from those who just moved in.
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As contractors filed in and out of the building next door on Tuesday, July 18, three days after the order was issued, curiosity met concern for Birgir Stefansson.
"It is concerning, to say the least," said Stefansson. "I guess I hope that's not happening in my apartment."
The health department ordered the evacuation of six apartments in building No. 3 after air testing revealed the elevated presence of TCE, a chemical known to cause cancer with prolonged exposure.
"We took escalating action, and we just sort of reached a point where the mitigation came to a place where we needed to vacate those units," said Becky Rowland, North Shore Health Department.
Developers built The Lydell on top of a former landfill for Schlitz Brewery, which the DNR deemed a "historic waste site" in 2021. That means the company has to fix its contamination problem.
It also requires the DNR to keep open records on the site.
The Lydell, Glendale
Emails from June 12 show while the DNR was reviewing air sampling results collected by a third-party firm, tenants had already moved into building No. 3, only to be kicked out a month later.
"I mean, this is stressful and difficult for the residents," said Rowland. "It's kinda scary. They don't know."
Rowland said they're testing every unit twice each week, and more people could move out.
"Hopefully, we all continue to learn from this and maybe flip-flop or double-down on our testing in the beginning, so we don't have to move folks out," said Rowland.
FOX6 News reached out to The Lydell, its manager, Lincoln Properties and its owner, Cypress Residential.
None of the three responded to our requests for comment Tuesday.