A plan to clean up an old Southeast Kansas smelter comes as good news, not just for the residents of Galena, but for our entire area.
The former EaglePicher smelter, located on old Route 66, started up in 1878 and operated for nearly a century processing lead, zinc and cadmium ores. Zinc oxide, zinc sulfidemanganese sulfate, manganese dioxide, sulfuric acid and mercury were also produced by the processing.
Our once thriving mining history was responsible for much of the prosperity of earlier generations.
However, our rich past has left some areas environmentally bankrupt. The old smelter location is one of the final pieces of contaminated property in Galena left to be remediated. Short Creek, near the property, is also exposed to the contaminated metals during runoff from heavy rains.
Galena Mayor Dale Oglesby calls the plan submitted by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment “momentous.”
It’s about time the 68 acres are remediated. The planning stages have taken several years. The cleanup, set to begin in about a year, will take two or three months.
Money to pay for the $6.5 million project will come from EaglePicher’s 2005 Chapter 11 bankruptcy settlement.
Once the work is completed, the property could be developed for commercial use, although people will not be allowed to build houses in the area.
It’s impossible to restore the area so that it’s free of contamination. The goal is to limit the damage and the human exposure.
The sooner this project is done, the better for Galena and our environment.
Opinion
Our View: Finishing the job, cleaning up
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