Some Missouri residents and lawmakers are pushing for faster cleanup at several hazardous sites in the St. Louis area.
Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, told Fox News: “We feel like we’re being gassed by federal agencies because of the way they answer their questions and how cavalier they are.” I always felt that way,” he said. “They really should have gone in there and cleaned up the creek before this was built. They had a chance to really prevent all the damage that we’re seeing now, but for some reason… I didn’t.”
Chapman’s group, founded with neighbor Karen Nickel, advocates for the cleanup of contaminated sites in St. Louis.
“We spoke with many people who live within just a half-mile of the Westlake Landfill,” Nickel said. “We didn’t even know the landfill was there since those houses were built there in the late 1950s.”
The Army Corps of Engineers is working at the Westlake Landfill and Coldwater Creek in Missouri. (Army Corps of Engineers)
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Nickel and Chapman said when they bought their home, they didn’t know there was a landfill nearby and that it was designated as Superfund site.
“I was like, ‘What the hell is that?’ When I bought the house, I didn’t even know to look for something like that,” Chapman said.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses social media to provide up-to-date information about cleanups and make information accessible online.
“Some of the activists and community members in this region are very strong and keep us informed. We have really tried to strengthen our relationships with key community members. But I think it’s working,” said Bob Jurgens, director of EPA’s Region 7 Superfund and Emergency Management Division.
EPA added West Lake Landfill to its national priority list in 1990. This list is part of the Superfund Sites Program, which records the nation’s hazardous waste sites. These sites are eligible for federal funding for large-scale, long-term cleanup efforts.
“The Superfund process can be very time-consuming, and I understand their concerns about that,” Jurgens said.
EPA proposed an improvement plan in 2006. After a public comment period, EPA adjusted the plan and issued a new Record of Decision in 2008.
“Fixes were completed in 2018 based on community feedback,” Jurgens said. “It was almost non-stop work with the responsible parties to evaluate, design improvements, and ultimately implement.”
The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead federal agency working to clean up waterways, estimates the effort could take until 2038. (Environmental Protection Agency)
Nearly 35 years after it was designated as a Superfund site, residents have argued that the process needs to move forward.
“We’re told we’re close to reaching our goal, but as you know, we’re in a race against time,” Chapman said.
The EPA acknowledged that it does not have a firm schedule for when the Westlake Landfill will be completely cleared.
“There is no timeline. It is difficult to estimate how long this will take. We have made very good progress with the responsible parties in conducting a full assessment,” Jurgens said. .
Adding to the complexity of the work, a fire has been burning at the site for nearly a decade. The EPA reported that it is unclear how the fire started.
“Landfill fires are not uncommon,” Jurgens said. “Once that fire spreads underground, it’s very difficult to put it out. But they took some really good actions to deal with it on the scene.”
Jurgens said there was considerable space between the fire and the radioactive waste. Crews are installing fencing to contain the fire, and officials said there is no danger to residents in the area at this time.
“This thing that’s been smoldering underground is clearly in better shape than it was a few years ago,” Jurgens said.
Chapman and others who live in the area said past problems are contributing to the protracted cleanup efforts taking place today.
“The truth is that both federal agencies responsible for this radioactivity throughout this region made major errors and mistakes in characterizing it,” Chapman said.
Critics argue that the cleanup of these hazardous sites is not fast enough. (Army Corps of Engineers)
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The two sites, where toxic waste was stored after the Manhattan Project, were added to the national priority list in 1989. The list does not include Coldwater Creek, which extends from these sites, but locations along the creek where radioactivity was discovered are included in the priority list. List of storage sites.
“This creek runs 14 miles through my county, so I just believe the entire creek should be tested,” said Missouri Congresswoman Chantel Nixon-Clark.
Democrat Nixon Clark is a two-time cancer survivor who grew up near Coldwater Creek. She represents the area and recently hosted a town hall to hear from others who live there.
“Many voters shared how they too have lost loved ones and are dealing with the aftermath,” Nixon-Clarke said. “It’s very sad to see my community suffer and deal with these impacts of Coldwater Creek. We know there are many more stories out there. ”
The Army Corps of Engineers, the lead federal agency working to clean up waterways, estimates the effort could take until 2038.
“If you do the math, it’s already been 80 years,” Nixon-Clark said. “Some of us may have never experienced tidying up in our lives.”
Like the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged that this process will be long.
“Securing just one area requires a tremendous amount of coordination, investigation, documentation, and remediation work,” said Phil Moser, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District program manager. It takes time.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said the cleaning schedules at both facilities were unacceptable.
“This is outrageous. Remember, this stream has been polluted since the 1950s, since the 60s, and now in 2038. That means we’re nearing the century mark. ” Hawley said. “They should stop kicking the can from now on. This should be an all-out effort.”
The Army Corps of Engineers is taking samples along 24 miles of Coldwater Creek. The area included approximately 756 properties, including residential, commercial, and recreational facilities. They have tested for uranium, radium, thorium, and other contaminants.
“When the Army Corps occupied it in 1998, its extent was not 100 percent known,” Moser said. “In 2012, Coldwater realized that even more extensive sampling was needed in the Creek.”
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A new map published by the agency showed where contaminated soil was located. They also showed the parts of the ship where crews were taking samples and areas that were tested and deemed safe.
“There’s more waste than they’re told,” Nickel said. “The Corps, I don’t know if they’re not coming forward, if they’re not telling the truth, if they’re not being transparent. We haven’t had a lot of trust with the Corps over the years, so it’s hard to judge. is difficult.”
Coldwater Creek flows behind Jana Elementary School. It was shut down in 2022 after thorium, which has been linked to cancer, was detected on the premises.
“Yana Elementary School was really a nightmare come true for us because we knew it was located right on the creek,” Chapman said.
Ashley Bernaugh is also a member of the Just Moms STL group. She served as her PTA president at Jana Elementary School, where her son attended. For several years, she said, she had requested inspections and documentation from the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Since 2018, the Army Corps of Engineers has been doing serious due diligence, and the Department of Energy has been working with them and not answering my questions,” Burneau said.
Moser said officials conducted tests inside and outside the school and determined the contamination was background radiation.
“We have reviewed and concluded that schools are safe from a radiological perspective. We support that, and so do the federal agencies that reviewed our documentation,” Moser said. Ta.
Burnough and other advocates said that’s not enough. He ultimately had an outside company take samples from the school grounds.
“The Boston Chemical Company took dust samples and analyzed them and found thorium-230, a type of metal used in radioactive bomb waste from early weapons development in St. Louis. We did it,” Burneau said.
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The Army Corps of Engineers reported finding dangerous levels of thorium, but only in areas near streams.
“The banks of the creek are being repaired by the Army Corps of Engineers because they meet magical standards. What do you mean? Are they willing to remove the radioactive waste?” Burnough said.
The Corps is also taking soil samples from homes near Coldwater Creek after discovering contamination on the property.
“They’re finding radioactive contamination under people’s basements next to the creek,” Hawley said. “They’ve never done the right thing. They’ve never compensated Missourians for what they’ve done, and they’ve never cleaned up. They need to clean up the streams. Landfill. We need to clean up the ground, we need to compensate people” who have fallen ill. ”
