DELRAY INITIATIVE

The Delray community of southwest Detroit is one of the most depressed areas in southeast Michigan. Historically, Delray was a working class, racially diverse community that depended heavily on industrial jobs provided by nearby factories. Like many other communities in the rust belt however, Delray has been economically hit hard in recent decades by factory closings, urban sprawl and the decline in manufacturing. More importantly however, decades of industrial waste discharges has left Delray with a legacy of extensive air and soil pollution. Although high unemployment and poverty are major challenges confronting residents in Delray today, the threat to public health from Pb, Hg, As and Cr [VI] in the soil has become an even bigger issue and significant source of concern. Newspaper headlines cite crime, substance abuse, high school and labor force dropout, as being prevalent in Delray, but recent research suggest that heavy metal contamination, particularly high blood levels of Pb may be the underlying factor. Recent interest in this area, as a potential site for a new bridge to Canada however, has offered new hope to the residents and has opened the door for redevelopment. The initial step in this process is a complete environmental assessment of the Delray community. This investigation, conducted by the University of Michigan-Dearborn in consortium with local environmental awareness groups and the Detroit Public School System began in 2009 and will continue through the end of 2010. Although preliminary, an analysis of soil samples from over 400 residences has indicated that significant levels of As, Hg, and Pb are present in the upper 0.5 meter of soil throughout the Delray area. The levels of metals present suggest that significant remedial action will be necessary prior to redevelopment.