Decision on Largest Lead-Tainted Neighborhood

"OMAHA, Nebraska -- The nation's largest residential lead site reached a key milestone today with the signing of EPA's Final Record of Decision after more than 10 years of effort to address the toxic problem by the U.S. EPA, health agencies, community organizations, schools, medical groups, and the public.

Thousands of residential yards in eastern Omaha have been contaminated over a period of decades by airborne lead emissions from the former ASARCO lead refinery.

By signing the Record of Decision, the EPA agrees to clean up nearly 1,000 of them in addition to the more than 4,600 properties the federal agency has already cleaned.

The selected final remedy with an estimated capital cost of $236.6 million "addresses the principal current and potential risks to human health and the environment," says the EPA in the Record of Decision."

Environment News Service had the story May 14, 2009.