The site is located in the Omaha metropolitan area and encompasses Council Bluffs, Iowa, Carter Lake, Iowa, and east Omaha. It is centered around downtown Omaha, Nebraska.
ASARCO Incorporated (ASARCO) operated a lead refinery at 500 Douglas Street in Omaha, Nebraska, for over 100 years beginning in the 1870s. The operation of the refinery ceased in 1997. As a routine part of the refinery operation, lead particles were emitted into the atmosphere at the refinery. In addition, the Gould Incorporated Lead Battery Recycling Plant was located at 555 Farnam street in Omaha and was a secondary smelter of lead from discarded lead batteries. The blast furnace used to smelt the lead at the Gould plant emitted lead particles into the air from that refinery. The Gould plant closed in 1982.
Several other facilities in the Omaha area used lead in their manufacturing processes. A few of these included Carter White Lead at 21st and Locust Street which produced white lead paint bases and red lead and litharge protective coatings until 1936, Omaha Shot and Lead which later became Lawrence Shot and Lead, and then became National Lead Company which manufactured lead shot by melting pig lead, Grant Storage Battery Company, Storage Battery Factory, and Exide Corporation which manufactured lead storage batteries.
Numerous other locations in the Omaha area such as foundries, iron works, metal salvaging companies and other manufacturers used or processed lead at their facilities.
On March 25, 2004, an Action Memorandum Amendment was signed. This amendment changed the scope of work to include daycare facilities and elevated blood levels (EBLs) that were previously addressed under the first Action Memorandum, however, still addresses highly contaminated properties with soil concentrations of 1,200 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) or greater.
Continued activities are being centralized from the Missouri River Treatment Plant located at 5600 S 10th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68107-3501. The city of Omaha has partnered with the EPA to allow the use of a portion of the facility.
This week a few of the ERRS crew were temporarily pulled off of the Omaha lead project to assist on-scene coordinator (OSC) Eric Nold in cleaning up an oil spill in Council Bluffs, Iowa, less than 15 minutes away. Even with a shorted staff, there were 11 excavations completed, 10 backfills completed, and 11 properties were sodded during the week.
Continued prioritization will be given to EBLs, day care facilities, and highly contaminated properties where children seven years of age or younger live.
The Missouri River Treatment facility has encouraged the EPA to continue to utilize the same areas of the facility for another year under the existing terms as stated in the access agreement that currently expires in May 2004.
The EPA received an access agreement from the City of Omaha which extended the agreement to May 2005.
A sample was collected and submitted for analysis of the third 1000- cubic-yard stockpile prior to loading out. Load out is tentatively scheduled to begin Thursday 5/13.
There is a list of 570 properties, with greater than 1,200 ppm lead, that is currently being prioritized for this phase of the project.
An additional list of 10 EBLs and 4 day cares was received and is receiving the highest priority. Pre-walk thru property visits are being scheduled and excavation began on those properties on April 12, 2004.
After those prioritized properties have been cleaned up, geographic locations will be utilized to maximize available resources concerning the greater than 1,200 ppm lead properties.
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