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EPA Response to September 11 |  |
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Pictures from the World Trade Center ResponseMonitoring the Air and Water
Dust Suppression and Removal
Once Wall Street reopened, three of the giant vacuums, each capable of
capturing 15 tons of solid material, began systematically cleaning streets
and sidewalks, parking areas, parks and playgrounds in the impacted area.
Sandboxes were the most time consuming … all the sand had to be
removed and replaced.
More PicturesFollow links to larger versions of each photo. An article about EPA's experiences in the aftermath of the attacks provides context to these photos.
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For
months after September 11, EPA took samples of the air, dust, water, river
sediments and drinking water and analyzed them for the presence of pollutants
that might pose a health risk to response workers at the World Trade Center
and Pentagon sites and the public. These monitoring data are available
both in 
Within
days of the disaster, EPA had ten vacuum cleaner trucks blitzing the financial
district. Power washers cleaned building fronts and wet down streets and
sidewalks to capture the dust prior to vacuuming.
To
insure that dust was not tracked into the clean areas by people and vehicles
leaving the work zone, EPA established a number of wash stations . Workers
coming off the site had their boots washed. Cars and trucks were power-washed
and debris being hauled to piers was wetted down and covered so dust did
not fly about.
This
map shows the areas that were cleaned as of October 15, 2001. The recovery
effort concluded in June 2002.
