The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected ASW Associates, Inc., of Lincoln, Neb., to remove and dispose of lead-contaminated residential soil in Madison County, Mo. The company has extensive experience working on lead sites in Region 7, most recently on the Omaha Lead Site, the country's largest residential lead site.

This fixed-rate contract was competed as a small business set-aside and consists of a base year and two option years. If both option years are exercised, the ceiling price of the contract could be $24 million. Over the three-year period, an estimated 800 residential yards will undergo cleanup, including the removal of lead-contaminated soil, clean soil replacement, and revegetation using hydro-seed. The contract includes an incentive clause to encourage the use of local products and services.

EPA has been working collaboratively in Madison County since 1995, after initially detecting elevated heavy metal levels (lead) in mine waste, soil, groundwater and sediment. The Madison County Mines site is part of the Old Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri, where mining has occurred since the 1700s. Past mining operations left mine waste deposits throughout the county.

Elevated lead levels in the environment can pose a threat to public health, especially for children seven years old and younger, pregnant women, and the elderly.