PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — The EPA has proposed lower residential cleanup thresholds for lead at the Colorado Smelter Superfund Site, a move that would require hundreds of additional homes in the Bessemer area to be cleaned.
When cleanup began in 2017, the cleanup level for lead in soil was set at 350 parts per million (PPM).
The EPA has now proposed reducing that threshold to 240 PPM. The cleanup level for lead dust inside homes would also be reduced, from 275 PPM to 110 PPM.
An EPA spokesperson said the new thresholds would require approximately 700 new homes to be cleaned for lead and 500 homes for dust. Homeowners can deny access for the cleanup.
The EPA does not anticipate revisiting yards that previously received whole-yard cleanups.
The EPA has a budget of $80 million to execute the project, which it estimates will take 10 years to complete. The agency plans to begin campaigning for access to new homes following the end of the public comment period in October.
Harric Vandervalk has deep ties to the Bessemer area and said the continued cleanup is welcome news.
"Raising a daughter in this neighborhood, it gave me the passion for fixing and doing this cleanup. I think it's a fantastic thing for the community,” he said.
Velma Campbell, an environmental justice advocate and public health physician, said lowering the cleanup thresholds is critical, particularly for children.
"It's important to lower those standards as low as reasonable, as low as practical, as low as can be achieved,” she said.
"In communities like ours where there can be educational issues, there can be other social and public health issues, kids don't need any additional disadvantages,” she added.
Campbell and Vandervalk both expressed disappointment with the project's timeline, calling for faster action and greater funding.
"I think there's no need to drag it out for 10 years. Get the budget together," Campbell said.
"If we could get the legislature involved, which takes community involvement in order to do that, we would be able to significantly increase the funding and so forth for this project," Vandervalk said.
Vandervalk said broad community participation will be key to moving the project forward.
"We need to go and get as much community involvement and as much participation as possible."
___
Renovations Wrap Up At Fox Run Regional Park
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
