Some? missouri Residents and lawmakers are demanding rapid cleanup at many toxic sites st louis area,
Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, told Fox News, “We always felt like we were being harassed by these federal agencies, the way they answered questions, the way they were very careless. ” “They really should have gone in there and cleaned up the bay before they built any of this. They really had a chance to prevent all the damage that we’re seeing now. And for whatever reason, they did that.” Decided not to.”
Chapman’s group, which she founded with her neighbor Karen Nickell, advocates for the cleanup of contaminated sites in St. Louis.
“We’ve talked to a number of people who live less than half a mile from the West Lake Landfill,” Nickell said. “Since those houses were built there in the late ’50s, they had no idea there was a landfill there.”
The Army Corps of Engineers is working at the West Lake Landfill and Coldwater Creek in Missouri. (Army Corps of Engineers)
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Nickel and Chapman said that when they purchased their homes, they were not aware that the landfill was located nearby and was designated as a Superfund site.
“It was like, what the hell is that? I didn’t even know I was supposed to be looking for this when I bought my house,” Chapman said.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing updates on the cleanup using social media, making the information accessible online.
“There are some activists in the area and very strong community members who are always willing to provide information. We’ve really tried to strengthen our relationships with key members of the community, and I think It is bearing fruit.” ” said Bob Jurgens, director of EPA Region 7 Superfund and Emergency Management Division.
The EPA added the West Lake Landfill to its list of national priorities in 1990. The list is part of its Superfund Sites program documenting hazardous waste sites in the country. Those locations are eligible for federal funding to pay for extensive, long-term cleanup operations.
“The Superfund process can be very lengthy. We understand their concerns with this,” Jurgens said.
The EPA proposed a plan for improvement in 2006. After a public comment period, the agency adjusted its plan and issued a new Record of Decision in 2008.
“Based on feedback from the community, a revision was made that was completed in 2018,” Jurgens said. “It has been very persistent work with the responsible parties to get through the assessment, remediation design and then ultimately implementation.”
The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead federal agency tasked with cleaning up the waterway, has estimated the effort could take until 2038. (Environmental Protection Agency )
Nearly 35 years after being designated as a Superfund site, residents have argued that the process should be moved forward.
“We’ve been told we’re close to getting there. But, you know, we’re running against the clock,” Chapman said.
The EPA acknowledged that it does not have a firm schedule for when the West Lake Landfill will be completely cleaned up.
Jurgens said, “We don’t have a timeline. It’s difficult to estimate how long this will take. We have made really good progress with the responsible parties in conducting a full assessment.”
Adding to the complexity, a fire has been burning at the site for nearly a decade. The EPA said it did not know how the fire started.
“Landfill fires are not uncommon,” Jurgens said. “Once a fire gets underground, it’s really difficult to put it out. But they’ve done some really good things to address it at that location.”
Jurgens said there was a lot of space between the fire and the radioactive waste. Crews have set up barricades to contain the fire and officials said there is currently no danger to residents in the area.
“That subsurface smoldering event is certainly in better shape than it was several years ago,” Jurgens said.
Chapman and others who live in the area said issues from the past have contributed to the lengthy cleanup taking place today.
“The truth is that both federal agencies in charge of this radioactivity throughout the region have made huge errors and mistakes in characterizing it,” Chapman said.
Critics say cleanup efforts at these toxic sites are not fast enough. (Army Corps of Engineers)
The two sites where toxic waste was stored after the Manhattan Project were added to the National Priorities List in 1989. The list does not include Coldwater Creek, which extends from those sites, but locations along the creek where radioactivity has been found do. List of storage sites.
Missouri State Representative Chantel Nickson-Clark said, “This creek goes for 14 miles across the entire county where I serve. And so I believe the entire creek should be tested.”
Nixon-Clark, a Democrat, is a two-time cancer survivor who grew up near Coldwater Creek. She is representing the area and recently hosted a town hall to hear the stories of others who live there.
“Many constituents shared how they too have lost loved ones and are struggling with the aftermath,” Nixon-Clark said. “It is so sad to see my community suffer and grapple with such impacts from Coldwater Creek. We know there are many more stories out there.”
The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead federal agency tasked with cleaning up the waterway, has estimated the effort could take until 2038.
“If you do the math, we’ve already put 80 years into this,” Nickson-Clark said. “Some of us may never even experience cleanliness in our lifetime.”
Like the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged that the process is lengthy.
Phil Moser, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District program manager, said, “We have to do an extensive amount of coordination, investigation, documentation, corrections just to get one area. So the overall process will definitely take some time.”
Senator Josh HawleyR-Mo., said the cleanup timeline at both sites was unacceptable.
“It’s outrageous. Let’s remember, there’s been pollution in this bay since the ’50s, since the ’60s, and now in 2038? I mean, we’re getting closer to the century mark,” Hawley said. . “They should stop throwing garbage on the road. This should be an all-round effort.”
The Army Corps of Engineers is taking samples along a 14-mile stretch of Coldwater Creek. The area included approximately 756 properties such as houses, commercial spaces and recreational venues. They are testing for uranium, radium and thorium, among other contaminants.
“When the Army Corps took over in 1998, the border was not 100% known,” Moser said. “We arrived in 2012 and realized that more extensive sampling was needed in Coldwater Creek.”
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The agency’s new maps show locations with contaminated soil. He also showed the stretches where workers were taking samples and the areas they had tested and found safe.
“There’s a lot more waste than they’re saying,” Nickell said. “The Army Corps, I don’t know if it’s that they’re not forthcoming, not truthful, not transparent. It’s hard to tell because they haven’t had a very trusting relationship with that agency over the years.”
Coldwater Creek flows behind Jana Elementary School. It was closed in 2022 after thorium, which is linked to cancer, was found on the property.
“Going to the elementary school was really a nightmare come true for us because we knew where it was along the bay,” Chapman said.
Ashley Bernaugh is also a member of the Just Moms STL group. She was the PTA president at Jan Elementary, which her son attended. She said she had been requesting tests and documents from the Army Corps of Engineers for several years.
“Since 2018, the Army Corps of Engineers has really done their due diligence, and the Department of Energy along with them have not responded to my questions,” Burnaugh said.
Moser said the agency conducted testing both inside and outside the school and determined that the contamination was background radiation.
“We verified and concluded that the school was safe from a radiological standpoint, and we stand by that, with federal agencies also reviewing our documentation,” Moser said.
Bernaugh and other advocates said that was not enough. Eventually they had an outside company collect samples from the school grounds.
“The Boston Chemical Company was able to take dust samples and analyze them and they found thorium 230, which is a metallic type of thorium used in radioactive bomb waste, from early weapons development in St. Louis,” Burnaugh said. “
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The Army Corps of Engineers reported that it found dangerous levels of thorium, but only in locations near the Gulf.
Burnaugh said, “The Gulf’s shores are being remediated by the Army Corps of Engineers because it meets their magic limit. Of what? What radioactive waste are they willing to clean up?”
The Army Corps is also taking soil samples from homes near Coldwater Creek after contamination was found at the properties.
“They’re finding radioactive contamination under people’s basements next to the bay,” Hawley said. “They’ve never done it right. They’ve never compensated Missourians for what they did and they haven’t cleaned it up. They need to clean up the bay. They need to clean up the landfill, and They need to compensate people who have become sick.”
