DEQ officials have confirmed that soil taken from the Boise Greenbelt at a construction site has petroleum in it.
The construction is part of a Boise Greenbelt expansion from Garden City to Americana.
When city contractors started to excavate the banks of the Boise River, they found an old pipe leading into a cinder block walled hole underneath the soil.
Workers reported a stench and oil sheen from stagnant water found at the site and DEQ and ITD officials were called in to analyze the situation.
Following the soil sample being returned, the DEQ, City of Boise and health officials are trying to figure out how best to clean up the mess and are unsure how much petroleum has seeped into the surrounding soil if any.
The cost of cleanup or if construction will be delayed have not been determined at this time.
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