When U.S. nuclear weapons were developed in the 1940s and 1950s, the enrichment of uranium was carried out carelessly at many facilities around the U.S. Clean up of the radioactive waste generated by the enrichment is still going on.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to test for radioactive contamination at a suburban St. Louis park. The park sits along a notoriously toxic creek, according to a Corps official.
The Corps of Engineers is seeking permission from St. Louis County to test soil and water at Fort Belle Fontaine Park. The park is a popular spot for hikers with high bluffs and panoramic views. It is located about three miles from where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River.
Coldwater Creek flows through the park. The notoriously contaminated creek has been a serious problem for decades since radioactive waste got into the creek in the 1950s. Residents who lived along the creek as children in the 1960s and later have blamed different illnesses, including rare cancers on playing in and around the creek.
Kim Visintine is a member of the Coldwater Creek Group which advocates for testing and cleanup of the creek. She said, “We were never, as kids, supposed to go down there, but of course we did.”
A division of the Corps of Engineers known as the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) is responsible for cleaning up contamination along the creek. John Rankins is senior health physician for FUSRAP. He said that the testing the park is part of a plan to test all properties within the Coldwater Creek floodplain. He added that “We don’t anticipate finding contamination due to the elevated topography, and have not found contamination in the immediate vicinity of the park.”
Testing for radioactive materials was welcomed by local activist groups. Vistinine mentioned that the park is far removed from residential areas when children played in the creek. She said, “It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere.”
Coldwater Creek was contaminated with radioactive waste generated when the Mallinckrodt Chemical company processed uranium there in the 1940s and 1950s for nuclear weapons. The radioactive waste was initially stored at Lambert Airport near the creek. Later it was transported by truck to an industrial area that also borders the creek.
The site near Lambert Airport has been mostly cleaned up but remediation of the creek itself will not be finished until 2038, according to Corps officials. In the meantime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people to avoid Coldwater Creek.
In 2022, Jana Elementary School in the town of Floirssant was closed after testing by a private company found contamination of the kindergarten playground and inside the building.
The results prompted the Corps of Engineers to carry out its own investigation. The Corps found no contamination inside the school building or in multiple soil samples of the outside. A third round of testing also found no harmful levels of radioactive materials. The Jana Elementary School is still closed.