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The Southwest Jefferson County Lead Site OU3 consists of high concentrations of lead contamination from soil delivered by trucking companies from a contaminated farm field to numerous residences and businesses throughout Jefferson County. The primary problem areas at this Site that require action are lead-contaminated soils in yards and lead-contaminated dust in homes.
Jefferson County is located in southeastern Missouri. It is bordered on the north by St. Louis County and the Meramec River, on the east by the Mississippi River, on the south by St. Genevieve and St. Francis Counties, and on the west by Washington and Franklin Counties. The county encompasses 664 square miles. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Jefferson County is 198,099. Jefferson County, named in honor of former President Thomas Jefferson, was organized in 1818. The county seat is located in Hillsboro, Missouri.
Mining activities in Jefferson County began in the early 1800s in southern Jefferson County where the Cambrian dolomite source rock is concentrated along the Big River and other major streams. The first production operation was a lead shot tower erected in 1809, in the southern part of Herculaneum. Two mines were in operation as early as 1818, the Gray's Mine located on the Big River and the McKane's Mine located on the Dry Creek. In the 1830s and 1840s, there were many other mines opened for the production of lead, zinc, and barium (tiff). By 1855, three smelters were operating in Jefferson County, including the Valles Mines, the Mammoth Mines, and the Sandy Mines. Historical records indicate annual shipping of over three million pounds of lead out of Jefferson County during this time period, making it one of the leading lead producers.
The Inventory of Mines, Operations, and Prospects database lists 253 historical sites associated with mining and production operations in Jefferson County. Of the 253 mining sites, 202 were for lead or lead and other commodities, particularly zinc and tiff. Most of the remaining sites were exclusively tiff mines. Past mining operators in Jefferson County included the St. Joe Lead Company (now the Doe Run), the Valles Mining Company, the Big River Lead Company, Del Stocking, the Magnolia Mining & Milling Company, the Sandy Mining Company, the National Lead Company, the Bennett Lead & Zinc Company, the Walther Mining Company, Ed Dixon, the Big River Lead Mine, the M. Development Company, and Iva Schmitz-Rome & John. Of these operators, the Doe Run is the only mining operator currently listed in Jefferson County.
Its predecessor, the St. Joe Lead Company, opened the Doe Run’s smelter in 1892. In 2003, the Doe Run smelter was producing over 100,000 tons of lead a year. The Valles Mining Company still exists but no longer mines for lead. According to historical records, the company operated the lead mine and smelting operation at the Valles Mines from approximately 1824 through the 1930s. The ruins of several ore-milling structures, a former smelter, chat piles, and mill wastes are still present in the vicinity of the Valles Mines.
In September 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began an integrated site assessment, which included soil and groundwater sampling in the area. During the sampling event, the EPA sampled the soil at 353 residences located on or near mining or mine waste disposal areas. Based on this data, approximately 22 percent (55) of these residential properties had soils that exceeded 400 parts per million (ppm), and 6 percent (22) had soils that exceeded 1,200 ppm for lead. Beginning in September 2006, the EPA also sampled approximately 304 private drinking water wells in Jefferson County. Of these 304 wells sampled, 36 (12 percent) were found with lead levels greater than 15 parts per billion (ppb) and/or cadmium levels greater than 5 ppb.
In September 2006, the EPA sampled a farm field in anticipation of purchasing the soil for use as backfill following the excavation of lead-contaminated soil from residences in Washington County, Missouri. The soil contained lead at levels greater than 1,200 ppm. The EPA advised the hauling company of the contaminated soil and not to use the contaminated sild for backfill. The EPA sent a letter to the property owner in June of 2007, stating that “it is important that the contaminated soil from your property not be sold or transported off of your property for use elsewhere.” In September 2007, the EPA sent a 104(e) letter to the property owner asking for “information and documents related to the delivery of contaminated soil, sand, gravel, and/or rock found in residential yards.”
The property owner furnished the names of several trucking companies that had purchased soil from his property. In November 2007, the EPA again sampled the property owner’s property at three locations. Analysis of the soil by an X-Ray Fluorescence instrument indicated lead levels from 1,000 ppm to nearly 4,000 ppm.
There are no current or ongoing activities associated with this Operable Unit 03 of the Southwest Jefferson County Residential Lead Removal. The table below summarizes the complete list of properties remediated during this project. One hundred and fifteen residential properties along with one junior high and one high school were remediated under this operable unit.
Property Excavation Tons
ID Complete Disposed
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JC-0554 07/28/2008 409.98
JC-0555 08/11/2008 485.13
JC-0612 08/14/2008 280.71
JC-0629 08/19/2008 158
JC-0639 08/25/2008 356.07
JC-0564 08/19/2008 279.46
JC-0600 08/19/2008 445.11
JC-0558 08/27/2008 327.05
JC-0548 09/17/2008 445.29
JC-0613 09/26/2008 528.41
JC-0775 09/23/2008 193.92
JC-0954 10/06/2008 474.94
JC-0964 09/30/2008 320.98
JC-0948 10/06/2008 311.22
JC-0942 10/01/2008 150.94
JC-0678 10/16/2008 809.14
JC-0572 10/21/2008 217.26
JC-0611 10/21/2008 341.86
JC-0565 10/31/2008 26.82
JC-0651 11/03/2008 26.82
JC-0698 10/31/2008 259.47
JC-0842 10/24/2008 271.94
JC-0999 10/28/2008 218.26
JC-0620 10/29/2008 90.36
JC-0044 11/25/2008 82.62
JC-1054 01/07/2009 397.32
JC-0693 01/09/2009 210.62
JC-1033 01/08/2009 76.43
JC-0562 01/14/2009 86.68
JC-0748 01/15/2009 38.16
JC-0777 01/16/2009 664.2
JC-0701 01/21/2009 444.57
JC-0617 02/02/2009 179.89
JC-0652 01/22/2009 528.14
JC-0655 02/02/2009 372.74
JC-0667 02/04/2009 121.03
JC-0642 02/10/2009 350.07
JC-0556 02/09/2009 800.66
JC-0825 02/12/2009 472.83
JC-0891 02/17/2009 368.86
JC-0571 02/24/2009 15.41
JC-0575 02/13/2009 167.05
JC-1156 02/25/2009 201.78
JC-1162 02/23/2009 215.01
JC-0658 03/20/2009 19.97
JC-0584 03/11/2009 247.69
JC-0648 03/26/2009 122.02
JC-0634 04/22/2009 560.37
JC-0567 05/01/2009 277.04
JC-0559 05/07/2009 236.83
JC-0729 05/07/2009 247.68
JC-1144 04/24/2009 48.1
JC-0597 05/14/2009 369.87
JC-1231 05/20/2009 211.36
JC-0675 05/14/2009 355.51
JC-0717 05/19/2009 269.78
JC-0725 06/08/2009 229.86
JC-0616 05/18/2009 258.13
JC-0706 06/30/2009 876.22
JC-0955 07/09/2009 300.22
JC-0626 07/10/2009 338.09
JC-0245 06/17/2009 420.66
JC-0941 07/06/2009 66.63
JC-1233 07/02/2009 140.91
JC-1361 06/26/2009 198.71
JC-1238 07/08/2009 82.9
JC-0550 07/22/2009 68.76
JC-1382 07/16/2009 359.03
JC-0566 07/27/2009 1124.19
JC-0580 08/03/2009 377.56
JC-1180 08/07/2009 568.62
JC-0563 08/13/2009 259.78
JC-0982 08/31/2009 145.87
JC-1090 10/01/2009 184.83
JC-0576 10/01/2009 257.1
JC-0582 10/13/2009 1186.49
JC-0568 10/20/2009 324.06
JC-0551 11/03/2009 400.98
JC-0778 11/09/2009 246.14
JC-0615 12/07/2009 245.46
JC-0590 12/01/2009 191.11
JC-0577 12/02/2009 258.42
JC-1048 12/10/2009 801.98
JC-0624 02/12/2010 128.34
JC-0716 03/08/2010 513.19
JC-0797 03/08/2010 427.16
JC-0588 03/17/2010 390.42
JC-0846 03/02/2010 228.27
JC-0790 03/17/2010 538.92
JC-0991 03/31/2010 256.07
JC-0915 04/02/2010 79.04
JC-0780 04/09/2010 112
JC-0677 04/09/2010 193.02
JC-0961 03/29/2010 481.8
JC-0854 04/06/2010 366.73
JC-0603 04/06/2010 664.29
JC-1080 04/30/2010 561.92
JC-0785 05/18/2010 154.42
JC-0573 05/12/2010 250.86
JC-1111 04/30/2010 390.21
JC-0958 05/05/2010 351.01
JC-1019 05/03/2010 666.51
JC-1619 06/01/2010 290.14
JC-1486 06/14/2010 263.06
JC-0650 04/07/2010 493.12
JC-1717 07/19/2010 231.22
JC-1648 07/06/2010 370.81
JC-0712 08/02/2010 57.34
JC-0676 07/08/2010 513.15
JC-0672 08/17/2010 447.3
JC-0637 08/24/2010 94.93
JC-0697 08/24/2010 171.22
JC-1654 08/19/2010 230.83
JC-0878 08/26/2010 113.28
JC-1993 07/05/2011 84.32
JC-1659 08/11/2011 135.42
JC-2014 08/20/2011 586.22
In September 2012, a Record of Decision was authorized allowing the remedial program to begin transitioning into the lead role at the site. Additional sampling of soil and water will be provided through the remedial program of R7 EPA.
No further action planned.
No further action planned.
None
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