Franklin County, Missouri, consists of 922 square miles located in the Ozark region of Eastern Missouri bordered by the Missouri River to the north. The county is known for steep hills, deep valleys, caves, springs, and sinkholes. The temperate climate of the area is known for hot summers and cold winters. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 101,579 people live in Franklin County. Because Franklin County is located in the very northwestern portion of the Lead and Barite District of Southeast Missouri, it was subject to light to moderate historic mining activities and potentially associated areas of residual contamination.
Lead mining was confined to the south central portion of the county where lead-bearing mineral deposits of the Cambrian and Ordovician age are located near the surface. Lead, iron, copper, and barite have been mined in the county since the 1800s and the area grew at its peak to include several distinct mines, the largest of which was Virginia Mine. During its operation, Virginia Mine produced more than 25,000 tons of lead. One hundred and seventy-seven mining sites have been identified by the Inventory of Mines, Operations, and Prospects (IMOP) in Franklin County, and waste from these mining sites has the potential to be harmful to human and environmental health if not dealt with properly. The waste contamination concerns are primarily with lead but may also include arsenic, cadmium, and/or barium.
In 2006, the EPA START contractor conducted an Integrated Site Assessment (ISA) in Franklin County. In total, 117 residential properties were screened for lead, barium, cadmium, and arsenic contamination. Four properties were found to have lead soil levels above 400 parts per million (ppm), while 15 wells contained lead concentrations greater than the MCL of 15 parts per billion (ppb). In early Fall of 2008, the sampling continued this time in the form of a pilot study to compare a couple of different sampling methodologies in terms of analytical accuracy/repeatability and cost-efficiency/time of effort for the methods. During this effort, two more contaminated wells were discovered, bringing the total in Franklin County to 17. A total of five properties had contaminated soil greater than 400 ppm.
EPA sent sampling access agreements to homeowners in Rural Route 3 near St. Clair during the winter of 2008/2009. 130 residents sent in agreements. These properties were sampled. Twelve wells sampled from this round had lead levels above Maximum Contamination Level and were resampled to confirm contamination before being offered bottled water. Another mass mailing is planned for the summer of 2009 for the area east of Sullivan where the Inventory of Mining Operations and Prospects has indicated former lead mining activities.
As of June 2009, one property had soil levels greater than 1,200 ppm lead, while 6 properties have concentrations above 400 ppm. A total of 17 wells were found to be contaminated with lead above 15 ppb. Those properties and any others sharing their water supply from these contaminated wells have been given the opportunity to obtain free bottled water for cooking and drinking purposes.
Further investigations of the properties with potentially contaminated soils >400 ppm lead is planned to be conducted in the summer months of 2009. Bottled water is continuing to be supplied to 18 properties with contaminated wells.
START contractors are preparing to send the next mass mailing to the Sullivan area and begin sampling upon return of access agreements. START is waiting for results to confirm possibly 12 additional contaminated wells in the St. Clair area. If the results confirm contamination, then these homeowners will be offered bottled water service.
None at this time.
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