Washington County Lead District National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund Sites: Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi and Richwoods; Washington County, Missouri – Fact Sheet, January 2023

EPA Interim Record of Decision to Address Lead in Private, Domestic Drinking Water Wells

Overview of EPA’s Cleanup Decision

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 recently announced an Interim Record of Decision (IROD) to address lead and other heavy metal contamination in private, domestic drinking water wells at residential properties located within the Washington County Lead District (WCLD) National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund Sites, which include all areas of Washington County – Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi and Richwoods (see WCLD map below).

Lead is the main contaminant of concern at these sites. Lead is a toxic metal that is harmful if inhaled or swallowed. It affects multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to children under 7 years old, as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers.

EPA is installing Point-of-Use Water Treatment Systems (Drinking Water Filters), also known as filters, in homes with affected wells to protect families from lead hazards. EPA relied on input from the community and the state of Missouri in making this decision, and this action is similar to previous EPA activities to address lead in drinking water in Washington County since 2006.

What Does This Decision Mean?

Residential properties with private, domestic drinking water wells that exceed health-based standards for four heavy metals, including lead, are eligible for free filters. Residential properties include child high-use areas such as child care facilities. Contact EPA if your residential property has not been tested and you would like to have your private, domestic drinking water well tested for potential lead and other heavy metal contamination.

How Do I Participate?

Contact EPA or EPA’s sampling contractor, Tetra Tech, to sign an access agreement form and arrange to have your well sampled. After your sample has been collected, analytical results will be mailed to you. If your residential property qualifies based on testing, you will need to sign a second access agreement granting EPA permission to enter your residence to install the free drinking water filter beneath your kitchen tap. Some residences may qualify for a second filter at a bathroom faucet, especially for young children or people with limited mobility. Filters need to be replaced periodically to properly maintain the filtration system to continue to meet health-based standards for drinking water. Most types of EPA filters only need to be changed once per year. The EPA replacement filters will be supplied for free.

Contact Us Today!

Call EPA’s sampling contractor in Potosi, Tetra Tech, at 573-436-1285, or
Contact EPA toll-free at 1-800-223-0425 or by email at [email protected] (see EPA contacts below).

Which Wells Are Eligible for Free Filters?

Table of Contaminants of Concern and drinking water well filter eligibility

Eligibility is based on the detection of contaminants above their Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs), or Action Levels (ALs) from EPA test results at the wellhead of the private, domestic drinking water wells. MCLs are concentration limits for chemicals found in public drinking water supply systems. These limits are also the cleanup goals for private drinking water wells under this EPA action. (See table at right.)

What if a Well Has Been Previously Sampled?

In most cases, past EPA water sampling for lead and other heavy metals should still be acceptable, and a new sample is not needed. However, samples collected for bacterial contaminants by the Washington County Health Department do not address possible heavy metal contamination. Please contact EPA if you have not had your well sampled by EPA for lead and other heavy metals.

To protect children from childhood lead poisoning, EPA plans to test as many residential yards and private wells as possible in Washington County.

What Has Been Done to Date?

Since 2006, over 4,800 private, domestic drinking water wells in the WCLD have been tested; approximately one out of seven wells have been contaminated with lead and/or other heavy metals (such as cadmium, arsenic or barium). Therefore, to prevent residents with impacted wells from drinking contaminated well water, EPA has continued to supply water treatment or bottled water.

Lead testing and remediation (cleanup) for yards and private wells are free to property owners! For more information, EPA posts Fact Sheets for Missouri sites online.

About Annual Childhood Lead Testing

Some children in historic lead mining and smelting areas have elevated levels of lead in their blood. This can cause health problems. Children under 7 years old living in this area should have annual blood tests. Talk to your pediatrician, general physician, or local health department about testing your child: Washington County Health Department in Potosi at 573-438-2164; learn more on their website.

For more information about how to protect your family from lead hazards, visit EPA's website.

For more information about lead, visit:

Online Information Repositories

Site project information is available to the public at web repositories. To view the Final IROD, Administrative Record File, Proposed Plan, Remedial Investigation, Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment, and other cleanup documents for these sites, please visit EPA’s Site Profile pages: Furnace Creek, Old Mines, Potosi, and Richwoods (see Site Documents & Data).

EPA has developed document collections to form a clear understanding of the decisions to take actions at these sites. If you do not have internet access, the documents are also available online during normal business hours at the following locations:

Washington County Public Library
235 E. High St.
Potosi, MO 63664
573-438-4691

EPA Region 7 Records Center
11201 Renner Blvd.
Lenexa, KS 66219
1-800-223-0425

Site Contacts

**Questions, comments, or requests for site information can be directed to EPA (mailing address below):**

Elizabeth Kramer
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
Phone: 913-551-7186
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Katy Matias
EPA Remedial Project Manager
Phone: 913-551-7896
Email: [email protected]

Steve Sturgess
EPA Remedial Project Manager
Phone: 913-551-7913
Email: [email protected]

Tetra Tech, EPA’s sampling contractor in Potosi; phone: 573-436-1285.

For health-related questions, contact: Cory Kokko, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry regional representative; phone: 913-217-5981; email: [email protected].

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
Toll-free: 1-800-223-0425