FLORISSANT, Mo. (First Alert 4) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began the demolition of homes in Florissant on Monday after radioactive waste was found in the homes\u2019 yards.<\/p>\n
The first house on Cades Cove, north of Interstate 270 and North Lindbergh, was demolished in less than an hour. Five more homes are scheduled for demolition this week at a rate of one per day.<\/p>\n
Contamination discovered in residential yards<\/p>\n
Soil samples found the presence of Manhattan Project radioactive waste in the yards of six houses. The contamination extends 2.5 to 17 feet deep in areas where homes were built on what had been a curve in Coldwater Creek.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the first times that we actually had to remove residential structures to complete the remediation,\u201d said Lt. Col. Andrew James with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.<\/p>\n
The Corps has been cleaning up Manhattan Project contamination in the region since 1997.<\/p>\n
Homeowners forced to relocate<\/p>\n
The Corps bought out the homes and residents were forced to move. After contamination removal is complete, which is expected to take nearly a year, the lots will be returned to the homeowners.<\/p>\n
One homeowner, who asked not to be identified, but whose initials are B.S.M., watched as the house where he and his family lived for 28 years was reduced to rubble.<\/p>\n
\u201c28 years of my kids\u2019 memories, Christmases. It\u2019s hard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The homeowner said he was frustrated that officials hadn\u2019t told him his house would have to be bought out till after he recently spent $70,000 renovating the house following hail and tornado damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe they were very transparent as to what and how they were handling it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Contamination levels and safety<\/p>\n
Phil Moser with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the contamination didn\u2019t pose a risk to the residents in the homes but was above the threshold that requires removal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could not safely remediate and remove all the contamination that we needed to without the homes being out of the way,\u201d Moser said.<\/p>\n
The Corps took soil samples throughout the neighborhood and found contamination in other yards, but engineers said those levels were not high enough to require removal.<\/p>\n
The radioactive waste originated from the Manhattan Project and leaked into Coldwater Creek decades ago due to improper storage.<\/p>\n
Ann Havens, who lives in the neighborhood and knows the homeowners, said the situation has been difficult for the close-knit community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s heart wrenching because I feel their pain. We\u2019re a close knit neighborhood. And I feel their pain,\u201d Havens said.<\/p>\n
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