Administrator Zeldin Releases EPA Region 7 Status Update Regarding West Lake Landfill Superfund Site and Coldwater Creek
WASHINGTON – Following his visit to St. Louis on March 17, 2025, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin released an EPA Region 7 Status Update for West Lake Landfill Superfund Site in Bridgeton, Missouri, and Coldwater Creek. The update cuts nearly two years off of the initial draft timeline presented by PRP consultants for the West Lake site, outlining resource needs and actionable items to expedite the cleanup from a May 2029 excavation start date to a 2027 excavation start date.
“Meeting and speaking with the St. Louis community members who have long endured radioactive waste in their community was beyond moving. This moment requires an unprecedented effort to clean up the West Lake Landfill and impacted sites in the area. I look forward to partnering with Senator Josh Hawley to achieve remarkable and urgent progress,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
“I believe the needs and resources highlighted in this report demonstrate our commitment to overseeing the cleanup performed at the West Lake Landfill,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy. “By identifying process efficiencies and improvements, we are looking forward to starting the cleanup sooner than previously anticipated.”
With this renewed focus and commitment, EPA has collaborated with the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site responsible parties to establish this expedited timeframe while enhancing transparency with the community throughout the process. By restructuring the timeline to allow for earlier confirmation sampling, more time for post-remediation plans, and EPA’s commitment to faster review turnarounds, the agency has defined a new approach to better deliver on its statutory obligations to communities with superfund sites across the country. The status update also identifies current needs for the site, including Remedial Actions listed in the Consent Decree while EPA strives to reach agreement on the 100% Remedial Design.
West Lake Landfill is the first superfund site in America to have an online tracking dashboard where the public can monitor cleanup progress.
For the St. Louis Airport Sites, also known as Coldwater Creek, the current overall project schedule estimates complete transfer of the site to the Department of Energy legacy management program in 2038. That date marks the complete remediation of the site according to the requirements of the 2005 Record of Decision as well as placement of land use controls on properties where accessibility did not allow complete cleanup to target levels. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remains the lead federal agency for the site.
While in Missouri, Administrator Zeldin toured West Lake Landfill, portions of Coldwater Creek, and the St. Louis Airport. The West Lake landfill Superfund Site was added to the National Priorities List in 1990 to cleanup contamination associated with uranium ore processing that was brought to the landfill in the 1970s from the St. Louis Airport Site. EPA is committed to overseeing the cleanup at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site and driving the cleanup to completion.
Read the West Lake Landfill update and the Coldwater Creek update.