U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development presented $34.3 million to Omaha, Neb., to fund ongoing lead clean-up at a local Superfund site.
EPA Region 7 Deputy Administrator Edward Chu presented a ceremonial check to Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, according to a Feb. 3 EPA news release. The funds will go toward clean-up efforts at residential properties, including child-care centers, in the city where surface soil is contaminated from air emission deposit from decades of lead smelting and refining operations.
"The partnership between EPA and the city of Omaha has reduced lead in the environment by remediating lead-contaminated soil and removing exterior lead-based paint from properties within the Omaha Lead Superfund Site," EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister said in the news release. "Renewing our cooperative agreement with the city helps continue to ensure that the children and citizens of Omaha are protected from the dangers associated with lead exposure."
Specifically, the EPA awarded $29.9 million to renew the seven-year, $29.9 million cooperative agreement that enables the city to perform remedial activities within the Omaha Lead Superfund Site, including cleaning up contaminated yards. HUD presented $4.4 million to the city to address interior lead-based paint, the release reported.
Omaha was once home to a lead smelter and battery recycling plant that released more than 400 million pounds of lead particles into the environment, the release reported. Much of those particles ended up in the 27 square miles of residential areas in downtown Omaha.
The Record of Decision for the Omaha Lead Superfund Site includes remediation of lead-impacted soil from smelting and lead processing activities and exterior lead-based paint stabilization to protect the soil remedy, according to the release.
The HUD funds come from its Lead-Based Paint and Lead Hazard Reduction and Healthy Homes Program to address interior lead-based paint hazards in 160 housing units. They will provide safer homes for low-income families with children, the release reported.
EPA and the Douglas County Health Department have a separate agreement to provide funding for blood lead screening, indoor lead screening and education to medical professionals within the site boundary, according to the release.
