ST. LOUIS - The United States and the State of Missouri want to hold a highway and development contractor responsible for the lead remediation efforts on its property, according to a lawsuit filed Feb. 19 in St. Louis federal court.
Defendant Delta Asphalt has owned property since 1988 within the Madison County Mines Superfund Site, an area roughly 80 miles from St. Louis that underwent extensive lead mining in the 18th through 20th centuries. As a result, lead contamination levels are high in the area, which can lead to developmental and learning disabilities for young children that reside there, the suit says.
In 2003, the EPA began lead mitigation efforts for the site; approximately 205,000 cubic yards of lead-contaminated soil were placed into a repository owned by the defendant. By 2014, eight acres of lead-contaminated repository were on Delta Asphalt's land, the suit says.
The plaintiffs say that Delta Asphalt is responsible for costs accrued as property owner of the repository site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).