For more than a century, a smelting plant in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, spewed lead-laden smoke into the city. As the toxic metal drifted toward the ground, approximately 400 million pounds of it (approximately the weight of Chicago’s Willis Tower) was deposited in the soil and on the bodies of countless Omahans. Since 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Omaha have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on cleanup efforts.
Flatwater Free Press has partnered with ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization, to examine the effectiveness of America’s largest residential cleanup effort and see what questions still remain.
Fill out the form to register to have your soil lead tested. If you live in one of the affected areas listed below, a member of our team may collect soil samples from your garden. Once the test is complete, we will notify you of the results. (You can also opt out of receiving test results if you wish.)
If you have any questions, please contact Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling. [email protected] or 402-302-0066, ext. 5. Please share this form with your neighbors and community so they too can register to have their soil lead tested.
Omaha Lead Superfund Site Map
This map shows the Omaha Lead Superfund site. Flatwater Free Press is interested in testing real estate on site as well as properties in surrounding areas such as Bellevue. East of 72nd Street. Carter Lake, Iowa. and Council Bluffs, Iowa. We will prioritize soil collection from these neighboring areas.
Click or tap the map to enlarge.
Omaha Reed Superfund Site Map
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