Officials Announce Environmental Cleanup of Carter Carburetor Site

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

The long-awaited environmental cleanup of the Carter Carburetor Site has been announced as federal, state and local officials gathered at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club on North Grand, adjacent to the site. The press conference marking the event was attended by 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.

The former gasoline and diesel carburetor manufacturing plant had been in operation from 1915 to 1984. Following investigations, the site has been found to have unacceptable levels of PCBs, TCE and asbestos. Mayor Slay thanked Congressman Clay and the EPA for their hard work over the years to finally get to this day. Talking about the leader of the City’s team, Otis Williams, executive director of St. Louis Development Corporation, said: “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.

Following the agreements between EPA, ACF Industries Inc. and Carter Building Inc., the asbestos materials will be removed from the CBI Building, which will be demolished and removed. Excavation and removal of PCB-contaminated soil from the Die Cast Area portion of the site will also take place. The TCE-contaminated soils at the former above-ground storage tank area will receive on-site treatment and follow-up environmental sampling in order to confirm how effective the cleanup has been.

According to the EPA plan, initial work to clear debris from the buildings is expected to start within the next month.

Photo Courtesy of: www.stlouis-mo.gov