Army Corps of Engineers completes sanitation project near Jana

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed its project to remove radioactive soil near the former Jana Elementary School in north St. Louis County.

Editor's note: The video above was published on September 12, 2023.

The project, which took place along the banks of Coldwater Creek, bordering the now-closed elementary school property, included the removal of thousands of cubic feet of soil. The Army Corps of Engineers said the 7,416 cubic yards of contaminated soil was enough to fill more than eight Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The work being done on the Jana Elementary property is part of ongoing remediation efforts along Coldwater Creek by the Formerly Used Sites Corrective Action Program (FUSRAP). Coldwater Creek was contaminated with radioactive material from the making of the first atomic bomb.

The Army Corps said most of the soil excavated as part of the project was not contaminated, but had to be moved to reach the contaminated soil. The uncontaminated soil was then used as fill during the restoration project.

The restoration was completed by the installation of riprap to prevent erosion and the planting of grass. Native plants will be planted along the riprap to provide better protection against erosion.

“We are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication shown by everyone involved in this project,” said Col. Andy Pannier, St. Louis District Commander. “Their commitment reflects our mission to protect and restore the environment and improves the quality of life in our community.”

FUSRAP remediates contaminated soil by loading it onto trucks transported to the St. Louis airport site, known as SLAPS.

From there, it is loaded onto rail cars and shipped to US Ecology in Michigan, an approved disposal facility.

As for the remainder of the contaminated areas along Coldwater Creek, a rough projection for completion is planned for 2035 with full transfer to the Department of Energy in 2038.

The FUSRAP team is organizing an open house on Wednesday, June 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Florissant Municipal Court Palace. It will also be streamed live on the Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District Facebook page.