WARREN — Security fencing and warning signs will go up around a contaminated site off Birch Swamp Road next week, marking the beginning of a federal cleanup of the property that is expected to last three months.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced yesterday that the project will result in the removal of surface soils tainted with such hazardous materials as lead and polychlorinated biphenyls.

“Investigations in the summer of 2007 and 2008 documented that contamination at the site, which is believed to have been operated as an automotive and military surplus junkyard, requires removal,” the EPA statement reads.

The project’s initial steps include surveying the site “to look for any buried debris that may be causing the soil contamination” in addition to securing the perimeter of the area. The one-acre site is located off an unpaved access road that intersects with Birch Swamp Road to the west.

“To ensure public safety, Warren citizens should pay attention to warning signs near work areas,” according to the EPA notice. “The majority of the site consists of a grassy field on which the junkyard activities are believed to have taken place. The site also extends onto a small portion of an adjacent wooded property.”

During the project, EPA will monitor air quality, prevent erosion, suppress dust, and collect and analyze soil samples. Contaminated soil and equipment will be excavated, removed and trucked to an unidentified site approved by EPA. Excavated areas will be back-filled with clean soil. In some disturbed areas, vegetation will be replaced.

The EPA has consulted with state Department of Environmental Management and various branches of town government, including the Fire and Police departments and the town manager.

Limits will be set on the hours truck may enter or leave the site “to avoid morning and commuter traffic.”

It could not be verified yesterday if the site to be cleaned is at, or related to, the 20-22 Birch Swamp Rd. property the EPA investigated a decade ago. In 2000, the EPA sought to collect $1.53 million from Manuel Furtado, whose Bristol Sandblasting Company the agency held responsible for soil contamination. The company used the property to store and dispose of paint residue and sandblasting equipment from 1986 to 1992. A cleanup took place there in 1995.

rsalit@projo.com