The Missouri Department of Natural Resources issued a notice of violation last month, charging that the Doe Run Co. violated state clean-air laws while moving material at its smelter facility in Herculaneum, Mo.
The notice was issued by the DNR's Air Pollution Control Program on Oct. 17, for a violation that allegedly took place on Oct. 15. The notice said that a DNR staffer had witnessed an unspecified particulate substance being spilled on public property by a Doe Run employee moving it with a loader.
The DNR has issued three other notices of violation to the Doe Run Co. since Sept. 20, accusing the company of violating state environmental laws by spreading lead and other toxins on city streets in Herculaneum.
No fines have yet been assessed for the alleged violations, but DNR officials said the notices helped lay a groundwork for court action to force Doe Run to stop polluting Herculaneum.
The Missouri DNR has established a regular progress report on the cleanup actions taken at the lead smelting operation.
A spokeswoman for Doe Run, said the company has been working diligently with the state to clean up the area surrounding the facility.
“Our ultimate goal is the same (as the DNR),” she said. However, the spokeswoman adds, “We disagree factually with the state DNR.”
Connie Patterson, a spokeswoman for the Missouri DNR, said that tests this past summer showed significantly higher than acceptable lead dust particles in the area surrounding the smelter. “We are working to get corrective measures in place.”Latest from Recycling Today
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