Way Cleared for Cleanup of Carter Carburetor Site

Federal, state and local officials gathered today at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club on North Grand to announce the cleanup of the Carter Carburetor Site, a 10-acre complex of buildings and structures adjacent to the Club.  The former gasoline and diesel carburetor manufacturing plant had operated from 1915 until 1984.  Investigations of the site found unacceptable levels of PCBs, TCE and asbestos.  

Attending the press conference were U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr., Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed, St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay, EPA Assistant Administrator Mattie Stanislaus, EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks and Flint Fowler of the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.

In his remarks, Mayor Slay thanked Congressman Clay and the EPA for working for years to finally get to this day.  Mayor Slay also had high praise for Otis Williams, executive director of St. Louis Development Corporation, who led the City's team.  "He was tireless and would not take no for an answer."

"The City of St. Louis and SLDC have worked diligently with the Boys and Girls Club and the EPA to make sure that this complicated and extremely contaminated site will be cleaned by the responsible parties," Slay said.

The agreements reached by the EPA, ACF Industries, Inc. and Carter Building Incorporated will result in the removal of asbestos materials from the CBI building, the demolition and removal of that same building, excavation and removal of PCB-contaminated soil from the Die Cast Area portion of the site, on-site treatment of TCE-contaminated soils at a former above-ground storage tank area, and follow-up environmental sampling to confirm the effectiveness of the cleanup activities.

Initial work to clear debris from buildings at the site is expected to begin within the next month, according to the EPA.

For more information about the Carter Carburetor Superfund Site visit http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/carter_carburetor.