2015: Omaha to take over task of cleaning up lead soil - City will take reins from EPA to reach out to rest of owners whose properties are tainted

The 2015 Omaha World-Herald article reports on a major shift in the long-running cleanup of lead-contaminated soil in eastern Omaha. After 15 years of federally led remediation, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would end “the most intensive part of its cleanup efforts” and allow the City of Omaha to take over direct communication, coordination, and final cleanup responsibilities. Although the EPA would still pay for the removals which was up to roughly $30 million the agency would continue to pay to clean up properties “but only to owners who contacted the government.” The city would now manage outreach to the last 1,000 property owners who had not yet responded to federal contact attempts. City officials argued that locally run, personable communication would be more effective than the EPA’s formal “legal-ese” mailings, especially in reaching renters, absentee landlords, and hesitant homeowners. City Planning Director James Thele explained the advantage of local outreach, saying, “I think we’ll have a better opportunity because we’re Omahans. We’re from Omaha. We talk the same language.” By 2015, the EPA had already “tested about 40,000 properties” and “cleaned up about 15,000,” leaving the city seven more years to complete the final stretch of work before Omaha could eventually exit Superfund oversight.

This article reflects the present-day phase of remediation and shows how cleanup practices have changed since the early years of Superfund. Initial efforts in Omaha focused on industrial sites and used limited methods, such as capping or covering contaminated soil. In the 2000s, the focus shifted to residential neighborhoods as growing public health research and federal involvement led to large-scale soil removal. By 2015, another transition had begun: a move from EPA-led operations to locally managed, community-centered outreach. City officials emphasized the need for clearer communication with hesitant property owners. As Councilman Garry Gernandt noted, the city might simply need “a better sales job of ‘free.’” Public health advocates reinforced the stakes, with Kara Eastman stating, “Basically there’s no safe level of lead in a child’s body.” These dynamics show why cleanup evolved from emergency federal action to long-term local stewardship and how Omaha’s lead remediation matured into a model centered on trust, communication, and completing the final phase of Superfund work.

Moring, R. (2015, June 24). Omaha to take over task of cleaning up lead soil City will take reins from EPA to reach out to rest of owners whose properties are tainted. Omaha World-Herald (NE), p. 01B. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/apps/news/document-view? p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/1562D3301E2D3070.

After more than a decade of federally-led cleanups covering tens of thousands of properties, the EPA formally completed the bulk of remediation work at the Omaha Lead Superfund Site — having sampled over 42,000 properties and remediated over 13,000 of them. At that point, responsibility shifted toward local authorities, and the City of Omaha Lead Hazard Control Program assumed day-to-day management of soil-testing, cleanup of unresolved properties, and community outreach.

The infographic from the City of Omaha Planning Department Community Development Division website outlines the current lead-remediation process. It shows how the cleanup effort continues today at no cost to homeowners. It highlights the five major steps the city uses to address remaining lead hazards: soil testing, paint assessments, soil removal, replacement of soil and grass, and interior dust assessments. First, the city tests the yard soil to determine whether lead levels exceed safety standards. If hazards are found, the city removes contaminated soil and disposes of it in accordance with EPA guidelines before replacing the yard with clean soil and new sod. When applicable, assessments for deteriorating exterior paint and interior dust are also offered to help prevent recontamination inside and outside the home. The infographic emphasizes that all testing and cleanup services are free to residents, encouraging households who have not yet been tested to contact the City of Omaha Lead Information Office.