• Next week in Homewood, the Community Empowerment Association will hold a town hall educational forum on lead poisoning in water, paint and soil. Elected officials have been invited, along with representatives of public health, housing, environmental and legal agencies. The event starts at 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at 7120 Kelly St. Details: 412-371-3689, ext. 44.
• The Conservation District’s first free soil screening event for the season will be held from noon to 3 p.m. March 18 in partnership with Grow Pittsburgh at the Garden Resource Center, 147 Putnam St., Larimer. People can bring home soil samples for testing. It’s recommended that no less than one composite (multiple samples mixed from the same area) test be done for every 20-by-20-foot space. To contact Jonathan Burgess at the Allegheny County Conservation District, call 412-291-8017 or email jburgess@accdpa.org.
• Grow Pittsburgh’s guidelines for testing soil for lead can be found at http://www.growpittsburgh.org/wp-content/uploads/How-To-Testing-Garden-Soil1.pdf.
• The Penn State Extension master gardener program is a free resource for all gardeners, and experts there can address lead hazards. The agency has a soil testing lab and sells soil test kits. In winter months, phone and email messages are returned on a weekly basis: 412-482-3476 or 412-482-3477 or alleghenymg@psu.edu. Visitors with questions are welcome at Penn State Center Pittsburgh, 1435 Bedford Ave., Suite A, Hill District.
• UMass at Amherst soil testing information: http://ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory/lab-services.
First Published: February 14, 2017, 5:00 a.m.