Washington County Lead District National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund Sites: Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi and Richwoods; Washington County, Missouri – Fact Sheet, January 2023

Site Update: Lead Testing and Cleanup Opportunity

Site Overview and Update

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 is remediating (cleaning up) lead contamination at residential properties in residential yards and private, domestic drinking water wells within the Washington County Lead District (WCLD) National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund Sites. Lead is a toxic metal that is harmful if inhaled or swallowed and can pose serious health risks, particularly to children under 7 years old, as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers. Lead mine waste was dispersed throughout the area from historic mining activities in the Old Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri. Four NPL sites cover Washington County: Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi, and Richwoods (see WCLD map below).

Free Lead Testing and Cleanup Opportunity!

If you would like to have your private, domestic drinking water well and/or residential yard (soils) tested for potential lead contamination, please contact EPA today. Residential properties include child high-use areas such as child care facilities. Lead testing and remediation (cleanup) are performed at NO COST to property owners! (See EPA Memorandum: Policy Towards Owners of Residential Property at Superfund Sites.)

Contact Us Today!

Call EPA’s contractor in Potosi, Tetra Tech, at 573-436-1285.
Contact EPA toll-free at 1-800-223-0425 or by email at r7publicaffairs@epa.gov.

Just sign the EPA Access Agreement (permission form) if it is included in your sampling results letter. Signing and returning the access agreement (via email or mail) allows the EPA contractor to start to clean up the affected areas of your yard and/or install drinking water filters for eligible private wells.

Current Site Status and Next Steps

Residential Yards

To date, EPA has sampled (tested) over 7,400 residential yards for lead levels and over 1,200 yards have been cleaned up under Operable Unit 1 (OU1). Many more properties are eligible for remediation and will be addressed as part of the ongoing remediation efforts. EPA aims to sample and clean up as many eligible residential properties as possible.

Private Drinking Water Wells

Since 2006, over 4,800 private drinking water wells have been tested in Washington County, with approximately one out of seven wells being contaminated with lead and/or other heavy metals. To prevent residents from drinking contaminated well water, EPA supplies water treatment to qualifying residents. In September 2022, EPA completed an Interim Record of Decision (IROD) under Operable Unit 2 (OU2) for Drinking Water Wells. This decision addresses human health risks and protects people from drinking lead-contaminated well water through the installation of water filters at eligible properties.

Which Wells Are Eligible for FREE Filters?

Residential properties with private, domestic drinking water wells that exceed health-based standards for the contaminants of concern – four heavy metals, including lead – are eligible for free Point-of-Use Drinking Water Filters (also known as filters). The main contaminants of concern include: Lead, Arsenic, Barium and Cadmium. Drinking water wells are eligible for free filters if the sampling results for any of these contaminants exceed EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) or lead Action Level (AL).

Annual Childhood Lead Testing

It is important that children under 7 years old have their blood lead level tested annually, because children suffering from lead poisoning do not always look or act sick. The only way to know if your child has elevated levels of lead in their blood is to have their blood tested.

Talk to your pediatrician, general physician, or local health department about testing your child. For more information, contact: Washington County Health Department in Potosi at 573-438-2164.

About Lead and Public Health

Children are more vulnerable to lead poisoning than adults because their nervous systems are still developing. Children can be exposed to lead in their environment and before birth from lead in their mother’s body. Children can get lead into their bodies by putting their hands or toys in their mouths after touching lead-contaminated soil and dust. At lower levels of exposure, lead can decrease mental development, especially learning, intelligence, and behavior. Physical growth may also be decreased. A child who swallows large amounts of lead may develop anemia, severe stomachache, muscle weakness, and brain damage. Exposure to lead during pregnancy can also result in premature births. Some effects of lead poisoning in a child may continue into adulthood.

Lead and Site Information

Site project information is available to the public at web repositories. Administrative Record (AR) Files and Records of Decision (RODs) contain technical documents from EPA’s response actions. Visit EPA’s Site Profile pages: Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi, and Richwoods (see Site Documents & Data).

You can also view these documents online during normal business hours at the following locations:

EPA Region 7 Records Center
11201 Renner Blvd.
Lenexa, KS 66219
1-800-223-0425

Washington County Public Library
235 E. High St.
Potosi, MO 63664
573-438-4691

EPA also posts Fact Sheets for Missouri sites online.

For more information about lead, visit:

To learn how to protect your family from lead hazards, visit EPA's website.

Site Contact Information

**Questions, comments, or requests for site information can be directed to EPA (mailing address below):**

Elizabeth Kramer
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
Phone: 913-551-7186
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
Email: kramer.elizabeth@epa.gov

Katy Matias
EPA Remedial Project Manager
Phone: 913-551-7896
Email: matias.katy@epa.gov

Steve Sturgess
EPA Remedial Project Manager
Phone: 913-551-7913
Email: sturgess.steven@epa.gov

Tetra Tech, EPA’s sampling contractor in Potosi; phone: 573-436-1285.

For health-related questions, contact: Cory Kokko, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry regional representative; phone: 913-217-5981; email: ckokko@cdc.gov.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425