ASARCO

[Coyote]

Omaha making progress on lead Superfund cleanup
It closed in 1997, but the damage was already done.

American Smelting and Refining Company’s smelting facility in Omaha was arguably the worst lead polluter in the country. The Environmental Protection Agency said as much when it designated the Omaha Lead Superfund Site on a seven-zip code area surrounding the facility along the Omaha Riverfront. It closed in 1997, but the damage was already done. Little spots of earth, like one along Omaha’s historic 24th Street corridor, are popping up more and more. Community gardens. But this one has a different history. Lead once poisoned the soil. “This property here was acquired by a community church and they were interested in doing some community gardening here,” City of Omaha lead hazard program manager Steve Zivny said. “They checked the website and saw that there was no sampling history or anything on this lot, they inquired with us, and we were able to sample the property and find out that, yes, in fact, we did have some (lead) contamination here that we were able to clean up and address this year.”

[Coyote]

City of Omaha receives $34.3M to help with lead clean-up efforts
The EPA and HUB awarded the city of Omaha $34.3M
to help with lead contamination clean-up efforts at the Omaha Lead Superfund Site



On Friday morning, the city of Omaha received $34.3 million in grant money to help with lead clean-up efforts at the Omaha Lead Superfund Site. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded the city $29.9 million to address testing, remediation and cleanup of contaminated soil from the former ASARCO plant. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development gave an additional $4.4 million to address lead paint contamination inside homes.

[bigredmed1]

Lead paint in that area would be very common. Anything built before 1976 was primed and or painted in lead.

[SoPo]

Please help me understand. I understand that a lot of the funding for the lead cleanup in yards is federal government money, so it would seem beneficial for all areas to gain funds to fix the situation. But why hasn't Iowa ever received (or applied for) funds to have lead cleaned up in their yards? It isn't like the wind in the metro area permanently flows from the southeast. Any wind from the west would have distributed airborne lead into Iowa.

[Dundeemaha]

From what I read years ago the flood control that is currently in place that limits the flooding on the west edge of Council Bluffs was not in place which meant flood waters carried away lead contamination for decades lessening the problem on that side of the river.