Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. will resume work in April to clean up lead contamination at the site of its former Hauto power plant in Carbon County.

PP&L started work last September to remove battery wastes and material contaminated with lead and arsenic from a four-acre area on the 270-acre site, located on Route 54 between Hometown and Nesquehoning.

"We have removed more than half of the material and expect to complete the work by mid-summer," said Martha Herron, PP&L's community development director in the Hazleton area. "The severe weather this winter and the need to remove some additional material has delayed completion of the work."

The battery wastes that caused contamination at the Hauto site were not created by PP&L's past operations. The wastes were discovered by the state Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Environmental Protection Agency as part of their investigation into the Tonolli battery recycling site, which is located about one mile from the Hauto site. Tonolli is a federal Superfund site.

"As part of our voluntary agreement with the state DEP to investigate and clean up former PP&L locations or sites affected by past PP&L operations, PP&L has agreed to remove the wastes," Herron said. "The DEP approved of PP&L's removal plans and is monitoring the process."

There were about 10,000 tons of contaminated material at the location. About 4,000 tons still need to be removed, Herron said.

VFL Technologies of Malvern is doing the removal work. The firm excavates the piles of contaminated material, passes it through a screening process to remove the larger pieces, and mixes the smaller pieces with cement to stabilize them. Then, the larger pieces and the material that has been stabilized are transported by truck to the Pine Grove Landfill.

"We will need to remove about another 300 truckloads of material," Herron said. "The trucks will leave the site on Route 54 and travel west to Interstate 81."

Once the removal has been completed, SMC Environmental Services Group of Valley Forge will test the soil underneath the piles to ensure the site meets environmental standards.

"As the work progresses, area residents may see workers wearing personal protective equipment that could include face masks and some type of respirator," Herron said. "The equipment is necessary because of the workers' close contact with the material for prolonged periods. Area residents do not need to take any special precautions during the removal operation."

The contractor may remove some water from Lake Hauto to control dust at the site and to mix with the cement, she said.

The coal-fired Hauto plant was shut down in 1969 after 56 years of service. Buildings on the property were demolished in the mid-1970s. The only structure on the site is a PP&L electrical substation.