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EPA Groundbreaking Event Celebrates Mine Waste Cleanup in Jasper County, Mo.

Release Date: 11/19/2007
Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 19, 2007) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state and congressional officials will join in a groundbreaking event. This event celebrates the first cleanup contract for mine wastes in Jasper County, Mo., and will be held 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20 at the intersection of Main and Carter Street in Carterville, Mo.

The contract calls for the cleanup of an estimated 8 million tons of mine wastes on 75 acres. The work will be conducted by Snyder Construction Co., a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. The contract is the first in a series to be bid for cleanups that will cover about 7,000 acres during a 10-year period.

EPA has been working collaboratively in Jasper County since the 1980s with the citizen task force, elected officials, state and county officials, the Jasper County Health Department, and residents to identify and remediate lead mine wastes. EPA has cleaned up residential yards and installed public water lines to homes with contaminated private water wells.

Lead mine wastes come from a variety of lead mining, milling and smelting operations, some dating back to the 1800s. The wastes contaminate ground water, surface water, and surface soil with cadmium, lead and zinc. Lead poisoning is especially harmful to young children. It can impair the development of the central nervous system and cause behavioral problems.

EPA's strategy calls for at least 3 percent of its contracts to be with service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. The strategy supports the president's 2004 executive order to strengthen those opportunities in federal contracting.