EPA recognizes progress at Madison Co. supermines site

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FREDERICKTOWN, MO (KFVS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced significant progress on Monday, April 1 at the Madison County, Mo. Mines Superfund site.

It had been on the EPA Administrator’s list of sites targeted for immediate action.

EPA removed the Madison County Anschutz Mine site in Fredericktown, Missouri, from the list.

“Removing Madison County Anschutz Mine and Tar Creek and adding Olin Chemical to the Administrator’s Emphasis List demonstrates EPA’s dedication to accelerating cleanup activities that protect human health and the environment and improve local communities,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The cleanups at these sites further the commitment EPA made in the Federal Lead Action Plan by managing lead contamination at Superfund sites, thereby reducing exposure to community residents.”

The EPA has completed the remediation of over 626,000 cubic yards of soil at more than 1,900 residential properties in and around Fredericktown, along with 87 acres of mine waste.

The site was one of 3 updates made to the list.

There is a total of 15 Superfund sites on the revised list, with 13 sites removed to date.

The new property owners intend to re-open a former cobalt mine, which could employ hundreds of residents, according to the EPA.

“Reopening the mine represents a tremendous economic opportunity for the Fredericktown community,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. “The property owners’ efforts to restore mining operations and clean up the mine demonstrate how economic and environmental revitalization go hand-in-hand.”