The Washington County Lead District – Richwoods site covers about 45 square miles in southeast Missouri. Hundreds of years of lead and barite mining left behind strip mines, mineshafts, waste dumps, and tailings ponds across more than 1,000 mining sites in Washington County. The area once produced roughly 80 percent of U.S. lead. The site was added to the EPA's National Priorities List in March 2008, and remedial investigation began that same year.
The main contaminants are lead, arsenic, and cobalt. They show up in residential yard soil, groundwater, and mine waste. About 68 private residential wells have tested positive for elevated lead or other heavy metals. Many residents unknowingly used mine waste for driveways and other purposes, which increased their exposure risk.
The EPA has organized cleanup into four operable units covering residential yards, groundwater, mine waste, and surface water and sediment. Residential yard cleanup began in 2013 and finished in September 2018. About one in five tested properties qualified for cleanup, though some property owners refused access for sampling. Sitewide removal work wrapped up in October 2023. For groundwater, the EPA selected point-of-use water filters as an interim remedy in 2022. Those filters are installed under kitchen sinks to treat drinking and cooking water. Groundwater remedial action started in September 2023 and is estimated to finish between June and August 2028. Investigation of mine waste and surface water contamination began in September 2019 but has not yet reached the remedy selection stage.
A Five-Year Review completed in November 2021 found that the residential remedy is protective of human health in the short term. Long-term protection still requires institutional controls to be developed and put in place. Human exposure is not yet fully under control, and physical cleanup construction is not complete. The next Five-Year Review is estimated between November 2026 and January 2027.
Residents can request free testing of their yards or private wells by contacting the EPA directly. The EPA also offers a free program called Technical Assistance Services for Communities, which connects residents with independent scientists and engineers who can help explain technical information and EPA actions related to the site. For questions or to request testing, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, Shaylee Borcsani, at borcsani.shaylee@epa.gov or (816) 885-2043.
