KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Natural Resources released the results of soil testing conducted late last month in Henry County in response to community concerns.
Last month, a property owner sued several organizations for alleged poor handling of fly ash at a site in Henry County near the old Montrose coal-fired power plant.
The civil suit referenced an environmental report that seemed to indicate the presence of hazardous materials.
In its announcement Monday, MoDNR said, “There are no identifiable issues for lead, selenium or arsenic from public water systems near the landfill... Samples collected from Henry County public water systems near the landfill show levels for metals are in compliance with regulatory standards."
Initial concerns over water quality prompted Davis R-XII School District officials to relocate classes while tests could be conducted.
Officials took soil samples from the school campus, and the results showed “the soil sampled was below the regional screening levels for all contaminants except for arsenic, which was detected above the regional screening level in all of the department’s soil samples.”
The original lawsuit filed last month specifically referenced the finding of hexavalent chromium in the soil.
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State officials said Monday their sample results “show no detection of hexavalent chromium.”
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The department said it will work with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to help handle soil with elevated levels of arsenic. Officials said the heavy metal is naturally present in the background in Missouri.
More information on the test results is available on the department’s website.
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