Officials: State-funded cleanup effort running up huge tab

AUGUSTA - Removing 20,000 tons of debris from a south Augusta junkyard has turned into one of Georgia&#39;s priciest state-funded cleanups. <br> <br> Contractors hired by Georgia&#39;s Environmental Protection Division have worked since fall clearing surface debris from the former Goldberg Brothers junkyard on Dan Bowles Road. <br> <br> ``They&#39;ve almost completed the work on the surface area and have, maybe, two to three more weeks to finish that,&#39;&#39; said Jane Hendricks, unit coordinator of the division&#39;s Hazardous Sites Response Program. <br> <br> The next phase of the cleanup focusing on soil contaminated with mercury, arsenic, lead, PCBs and other toxins will begin immediately, she said. <br> <br> ``By the time they&#39;ve finished both phases, we&#39;re looking at about $8 million for surface debris and the soil removal,&#39;&#39; Hendricks said. ``It&#39;s not yet the biggest, but definitely one of the largest as far as the amount of money spent.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The contractor, AECS of Atlanta, is paid from Georgia&#39;s Superfund cleanup account, she said. The fund accrues money from hazardous waste generators and fines paid by environmental violators. <br> <br> Once the contaminated soil near the surface has been removed, another phase of the effort begins which involves groundwater and soil tests. <br> <br> Augusta received a $200,000 Brownfields grant that will be used to finance further environmental studies on the site to determine if more remediation will be needed in the future. <br> <br> Brownfields grants are used in many American cities to reclaim old industrial areas severely affected by contamination.