The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump has increased the soil lead level required for cleanup from 200 to 600 parts per million, potentially halting expanded efforts in Omaha's Superfund site. This rollback affects families like Crystalyn Prine's, whose yard exceeds the previous threshold but not the new one, amid ongoing concerns about child health impacts. The change follows Biden-era plans to address contamination from a historic smelter affecting tens of thousands of properties.
Omaha, Nebraska, grapples with a legacy of lead contamination from the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) smelter, which operated from 1870 to 1997 and released about 400 million pounds of lead dust across a 27-square-mile area. In the late 1990s, the EPA designated this east Omaha region as a Superfund site, the largest residential lead cleanup in the U.S., using $246 million from settlements to remediate nearly 14,000 yards by 2015 where soil exceeded 400 parts per million (ppm).
In 2022, Crystalyn Prine's 2-year-old son tested high for lead in his blood, leading to an investigation that revealed dangerous levels in her yard, though it did not qualify under the 400 ppm standard. Prine, a nurse, kept her five children indoors more to mitigate risks, as the home has been in her husband's family for generations.
Hope emerged in January 2024 when the Biden administration lowered the cleanup guidance to 200 ppm. EPA records showed plans to evaluate over 13,000 additional properties, potentially expanding the site across five counties in Nebraska and Iowa. However, in October 2024, the Trump administration raised the threshold to 600 ppm, tripling the Biden level and excluding many sites like Prine's.
Prine's son Jack, now 5, faces speech delays, speaking less than his younger sibling. "You would think that if lead is this impactful on a small child, that you would definitely want to be fixing it," Prine said. "What do you do as a parent? I don’t want to keep my kid from playing outside."
The EPA maintains that the new guidance prioritizes swift action, stating, “Protecting communities from lead exposure at contaminated sites is EPA’s statutory responsibility and a top priority for the Trump EPA.” Yet experts like Gabriel Filippelli question further funding, noting local advocacy is key. Regional EPA officials continue assessing the site, but costs exceeding $800 million could strain resources, including Nebraska's budget.
Despite progress, lead exposure remains elevated in Omaha compared to national averages, with many residents unaware of risks in their yards.
