The Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica collected soil samples from 620 homes in and around Omaha's Superfund site over two years, finding lead concentrations that pose a threat to people's health throughout east Omaha.
The Environmental Protection Agency declared a 27-square-mile area of the city a hazardous waste zone after the American Smelting and Refining Company closed in the 1990s, prompting years of testing and remediation. The investigation began when Leah Keinama, now director of civic journalism at the Nebraska Journalism Trust, could not find up-to-date information about lead contamination for gardeners in Omaha.
What the Left Is Saying
Environmental advocates say residents of historically contaminated communities deserve ongoing access to testing and transparency about cleanup efforts. Reporters said they heard from hundreds of Omaha residents who did not know about the city's lead history, with some believing that because the EPA had already cleaned up thousands of properties, there was nothing to worry about.
The reporting team distributed materials in Spanish after noting roughly 10% of residents within the Superfund site do not speak English. They partnered with local libraries and community organizations to distribute soil-testing kits before switching to a system where reporters collected samples directly from yards.
What the Right Is Saying
The EPA said its own sampling protocol — taking multiple composite samples from five sections of each yard — is more rigorous than the single-sample approach used by the news organizations, which it said can be strongly biased high or low. Several environmental contamination experts echoed that concern, saying a single sample may not accurately depict lead levels across an entire property because contamination can vary widely.
Private soil testing remains available for homeowners who want property-specific results through EPA-accredited labs, and the Superfund program has already conducted extensive remediation on thousands of properties since the site was designated in the 1990s. Some experts cautioned that non-standard sampling methods could mislead residents about conditions on their own land.
What the Numbers Show
Reporters tested 620 homes in and just outside the Superfund site over two years, sending labeled samples to Accurate Analytical Testing, an EPA-accredited lab, at $10 per test. They received fewer than 100 samples through do-it-yourself kits before switching to direct collection by members of the reporting team.
Nine environmental contamination experts were consulted on methodology. Several said single samples can offer broad conclusions about contamination in a region when enough are collected, with some saying the approach would likely underestimate contamination on individual properties. Others noted that even the EPA's composite method can miss hot spots or underestimate contamination.
The Bottom Line
The findings raise questions about whether residents of the Superfund site have adequate access to current information about lead in their soil years after federal cleanup efforts. Reporters said they are continuing to collect samples from nearby cities including Bellevue, Nebraska.