PBS did a great documentary on contaminated soil as a result of historical apple farming. It made me think about the new developments going up in Chelan. Especially a very expensive development called “The Lookout”. They’re selling some really expensive homes (upwards of a million dollars!) up there. They have great views, but how is the soil? The land used to be an orchard, and 1946 is the farthest back data I could find.
The Washington State department of ecology has found that old orchard sites prior to 1950 are ripe with soil issues. If there was an orchard there before 1950, chances are the soil is contaminated with Lead and Arsenic.
I found some great high res aerial photographs from 1946 at the USGS website. Sadly, it was indeed orchard in 1946, and sadly they used Lead Arsenate in those days to control Codling Moth. Even worse, around 1950 the industry stopped using Lead Arsenate and switched to DDT. Now they use chlorpyrifos. It seems like the apple industry just switches from one toxic chemical to another! I can’t beleive they still use chlorpyrifos today. The EPA is about to ban it completely! Over 80,000 people contacted the EPA and urged them to ban it. WILL THE APPLE INDUSTRY EVER LEARN? DON’T USE TOXIC CHEMICALS TO GROW YOUR “FOOD”!!!!
I know folks who have just bought houses for upwards of $700,000 there. They might be interested to know the history of their land. Certainly, I would not buy here. I haven’t tested the soil, but the main reason being it is right next to current operating orchards and I HATE spray machines that blast chlorpyrifos pesticides, and other junk way up into the air.
