24 years after spill, concerns arise again

OVERLAND, Mo. -- There is renewed concern in a small area of north St. Louis County, 24 years after an industrial chemical spill.

The spill happened in 1988 at a metal facility in Overland, contaminating groundwater in the Elmwood Park neighborhood.

Now, recent testing by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has shown that three occupied homes owned by the Housing Authority of St. Louis County had elevated levels of trichloroethylene, a liquid solvent used as a degreaser at the plant.

More testing is planned by the DNR and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Residents say they had never heard of the spill until receiving fliers about a meeting Thursday night. One woman said she wouldn't have purchased a home in the neighborhood if she had known about the contamination.