Despite significant financial investments in environmental cleanup efforts, over half of the yards in Omaha, Nebraska, remain contaminated with lead at levels high enough to pose health risks to children. The Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica conducted tests in areas previously surrounding a lead smelter, showing consistent contamination across the city’s older urban core. This includes historically Black neighborhoods north of downtown, predominantly Hispanic areas to the south, and midtown’s more affluent regions. Homes nearer the lead smelter displayed slightly higher contamination levels.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund program, along with the federal government and Omaha city officials, has been working since the late 1990s to remove lead from the city’s yards. In 2009, the EPA set a cleanup standard based on health recommendations from 1994. New research indicates even lower lead exposures can cause health risks such as IQ loss in children and heart attacks in adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lowered the high blood-lead level standards twice over the last 15 years.
An EPA risk model suggested that soil levels need to be below 100 parts per million to protect most children according to new guidelines. Testing at the Omaha Superfund site found that of 388 homes tested, 208 exceeded this level. However, the EPA’s current national remediation standard in Omaha requires soil cleanup at levels exceeding 400 parts per million.
EPA spokesperson Kellen Ashford noted that soil lead removal is just one aspect of protecting communities. Because no lead level is safe, complete removal is impractical. The EPA collaborates with local health officials in securing community safety using the Omaha Lead Registry and funding local lead poisoning prevention programs.
“It feels a little bit like being a sitting duck,” said Natalie Thorpe, whose daughter had elevated lead levels. Thorpe had purchased a home in Omaha believing the EPA had addressed soil lead risks, but her yard remains contaminated yet not eligible for cleanup.
Cleanup has led to a significant decrease in elevated blood-lead levels in Omaha. However, local kids still have higher blood-lead test rates than the national average.
Regulatory changes have impacted cleanup efforts. The Trump administration’s guidance increased the lead level threshold for soil cleanup. Discussion by the EPA under President Biden in 2024 recommended screening levels as low as 100 parts per million, carrying daunting economic implications with potential costs between $500 billion and $1.4 trillion to address properties exceeding these levels nationwide.
Meanwhile, some areas, such as Norway, Minnesota, and California, maintain stricter soil lead standards. The EPA plans to test Omaha soil further through 2027 to evaluate if adjustments to cleanup boundaries or lead levels are necessary.
Unleaded Kids’ Tom Neltner suggests Omaha residents mitigate risks by maintaining ground cover and adhering to EPA recommendations like handwashing and shoe removal indoors. While these steps help, he emphasizes that leadership at every government level is essential for supporting genuine, lasting solutions.
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