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The Lydell elevated TCE, owner statement
The owners of The Lydell apartments released a statement Sunday after six apartments were evacuated due to the presence of a hazardous chemical.
GLENDALE, Wis. - The owners of The Lydell apartments released a statement Sunday, July 23 after six apartments were evacuated due to the presence of a hazardous chemical.
Elevated levels of the cancer-causing chemical TCE were found in Building 3, forcing the evacuation of six units shortly after the tenants moved in.
The Lydell, Glendale
The company said tenants were allowed to move into the building because testing from other parts of the building showed no dangerous levels of the chemical.
The statement Sunday said residents of Building 3 have been offered relocation services.
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Full statement from Cypress Bayshore Residential, LP
"The following is a statement from Chris Maguire, President of the general partner of Cypress Bayshore Residential, LP, regarding the detection of trichloroethene (TCE), above actionable levels within one building (Building 3) of the Lydell Apartments and ongoing vapor mitigation efforts as well as ongoing communication with residents. As a reminder, the source of the TCE stems from the site’s historical land use that dates back over 70 years.
We recognize and regret that this issue is causing inconvenience and worry for our residents and our utmost priority is to alleviate those concerns, keep our residents safe and ensure they are happy in their new home. It’s with them in mind that our team is working tirelessly to resolve this situation.
Today, we want to provide a clear outline of this situation, how we are working to resolve it and how we are working to ensure the safety and satisfaction of our residents.
It’s important to note that from the beginning of this issue, we have been working with and meeting daily with the North Shore Health Department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) regarding testing and mitigation to ensure the safety of residents. We will continue to do so until we resolve this issue.
Decision to Relocate Residents
We would never knowingly move residents into a residential unit with high levels of TCE. We have been following the requirements and recommendations of the WDNR and North Shore Health Department throughout the testing process.
Once Building 3 was completed to a level to allow for representative testing of the vapor levels, we began testing Building 3 and tenants were allowed to move in as authorized by the TCO (Temporary Certificate of Occupancy) issued by the City of Glendale. At the time residents began moving into Building 3, we had received testing results from other portions of the Lydell Apartments project that showed no actionable levels of TCE, giving us no reason to believe there would be actionable levels at Building 3. These actionable levels have been set by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in cooperation with the North Shore Health Department and the WDNR.
In coordination with the North Shore Health Department, on June 14, we informed Lydell Apartment residents in Building 3 of the presence of actionable levels of TCE within Building 3 and the potential health risks associated with exposure to actionable levels of TCE, as well as the mitigation steps we are taking. We have been keeping all residents updated on at least a weekly basis.
After follow-up testing showed a level of TCE in six apartments (out of fifty-nine) located in Building 3 that exceeded the maximum levels for occupancy set by the North Shore Health Department, we relocated the affected residents in less than 24 hours at the expense of ownership.
Testing Process
Environmental testing has been conducted on each building by GZA GeoEnvironmental, a national engineering and environmental consultant with expertise in TCE mitigation and over 10 years of direct experience within this area of the city of Glendale, following previously established plans under the oversight of the North Shore Health Department and the WDNR. Buildings 2 and 4 have both previously returned testing results with no actionable levels of any volatile organic compounds including TCE and initial under-slab testing results for Building 1 that were received on July 21st also returned no actionable levels.
GZA has multiple lines of evidence to indicate that the migration of TCE vapors from under the slab in Building 3 has ceased by employing a comprehensive sub-slab depressurization system that was part of the building’s original design.
GZA has been proactively employing the use of an onsite mobile gas chromatograph to provide the field team real-time results, allowing them to quickly react to those findings and continue to frequently test units without waiting days or weeks for laboratory facilities to process results.
The data generated by this equipment is aiding decisions being made by the WDNR and the North Shore Health Department. It is integral in the considerable progress GZA has made in arriving at a solution to mitigate the elevated levels of TCE that remain in certain units within Building 3.
Every occupied unit in Building 3 has been offered an air purification unit and is undergoing diagnostic testing at least once a week with those results shared directly with the resident.
Reports of the daily testing results are sent each day to the North Shore Health Department and WDNR followed by a daily conference call to discuss the most recent testing, forecast the next day’s activities and communicate progress toward a final resolution. GZA’s team will employ the use of a second onsite mobile gas chromatograph beginning July 22nd that will allow for expanded real-time testing on site.
The entire team at Lydell Apartments is working tirelessly on mitigation efforts and a final resolution to bring TCE levels within all Building 3 units below actionable levels.
Residents Are Our Priority
For residents in Building 3 who do not wish to remain in that building, relocation to another Lydell Apartment unit has been offered, if available. If a Building 3 resident chooses not to stay with Lydell Apartments, the resident will be allowed to terminate their lease at no cost and will be reimbursed up to $500 for relocation expenses.
We commit to continuing to provide all our residents with weekly updates on vapor mitigation efforts at Building 3 and to continue to follow the guidelines provided by North Shore Health Department and WDNR. If any unit is found to exceed the actionable TCE levels set by the North Shore Health Department and WDNR, we will immediately undertake the appropriate response.
We will also provide media with regular updates on the process of our remediation efforts. For the safety of our residents, we ask the media to respect the privacy of our residents."