EPA orders changes to cleanup in Missouri's Old Lead Belt

ST. LOUIS -- The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a Missouri mining company to make changes as it cleans up toxic mine tailings at a shuttered mine operation in Leadwood, the federal agency said Friday.

The EPA is overseeing work at the Leadwood Mine Tailings Superfund Site, which is owned by The Doe Run Co. and considered one of six major mine waste areas in Missouri's Old Lead Belt. The EPA said its order was prompted by concerns from residents living in the area, which was once the heart of the Missouri region that supplied much of the nation's lead.

Left behind were tons of debris known as tailings, some standing 30 stories high, others spread out over several acres. The tailings are contaminated with lead and zinc.

The EPA's new conditions address hauling materials to clean up the site in St. Francois County, public trespassing and the company's use of treated sewage sludge to grow grass at the site. The company must now get agency approval before using the sludge, which residents complained released a foul odor.

The EPA order also set new deadlines and requires stronger oversight and accountability.

John Carter, Doe Run's manager of mining properties, said Friday in a written statement that the order is the result of recent conversations between EPA and Doe Run to address public concerns.

"These are additions to what we're already successfully doing at the Leadwood site," he said. "We're committed to continuous improvement, and helping the community."

Resident's concerns prompted the EPA to designate the area as a hazardous waste site to be cleaned up under the government's Superfund program. Doe Run owns the old mines and is responsible for cleanup.

Of particular concern to many residents has been the effort to grow grass on a tailings pile at Leadwood. Since the tailings pile is too big to haul away, the goal is to cover it with grass so that the tailings don't blow in the wind into neighboring yards or wash into streams or rivers.

To help grass grow, Doe Run allows the spraying of treated sewage, or biosolids, which act as fertilizer and spur plant growth. Doe Run and the EPA have said the sewage is safe, but residents who live near the site say it seeps into their yards and creates an unpleasant odor.

The EPA order announced Friday sets new deadlines, including completion of major earth-moving work by Sept. 30, 2010 and a plan to manage the treated sewage by Aug. 21. Doe Run may not apply sewage at the site without EPA approval, and when it does, it must provide a five-day written notice to Leadwood's mayor and the EPA.

The order also sets out time restrictions, use of trespassing signs and security and control, and bans on materials containing animal bones or carcasses, a reference to animal manure the company had dumped at the site to promote plant growth.

The EPA will discuss the order and hear community concerns at a public meeting Aug. 13 in nearby Park Hills.

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On the Net:

http://www.doerun.com/