Westside Lead

Overview

The Westside Lead Superfund site covers a 637-acre area of residential neighborhoods on Atlanta's Westside. Lead contamination in soil prompted the EPA to add the site to the National Priorities List in March 2022. The contamination came to light in 2018, when an Emory University doctoral student shared elevated lead data from soil samples. Industrial smelting waste found on at least two lots near Elm Street is considered a possible source.

Lead is the only contaminant of concern. It was found in residential soil, and the EPA determined it poses an unacceptable risk to human health. Young children face the greatest risk because normal hand-to-mouth behavior can lead to ingesting contaminated dust and soil. Human exposure at the site is not currently under control, meaning unsafe levels have been detected and people could reasonably be exposed. There are no known impacts to drinking water.

The cleanup plan, selected in November 2022, calls for excavating contaminated soil, hauling it to an EPA-approved landfill, backfilling with clean material, and revegetating affected properties. The project is projected to cost $49.13 million and take about six years. Remedial action started in July 2023 and is expected to run through October 2028. A separate removal action under responsible party oversight began in March 2021 and was scheduled to finish by March 2026. In March 2025, crews began removing lead-contaminated soil from Lindsay Street Park, excavating up to two feet of soil and restoring landscaping. The City of Atlanta is replacing playground equipment there.

As of November 2025, the EPA had sampled 1,542 of an estimated 2,097 properties. Of the 639 properties found to need cleanup, 417 have been completed, 15 are in progress, and 222 remain. Sampling is ongoing, so more properties may be identified. Children's blood lead levels remain a concern. Testing is available through the Neighborhood Union Health Center at (404) 612-4665 for $10 without insurance, or through Westside Community Health Workers at (404) 481-5790.

Residents can request free soil sampling by signing access agreements, which allow sampling only and do not require home entry. To learn about sampling, call the Westside Lead Community Outreach number at (678) 662-8603. The Georgia Department of Public Health provides guidance on reducing lead exposure at home. Anyone with health concerns can also contact the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Region 4 at (404) 562-1784 or kgb0@cdc.gov. Site records are available for public review at the Washington Park Library Branch, 1116 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta, Georgia.