Missouri Senator seeks update on contaminated Missouri site
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary David Turk, requesting an update on the monitoring and remediation of the Weldon Spring Superfund Site in St. Charles, Mo.
Earlier this month, Senator Hawley questioned Secretary Turk during an Energy Committee hearing, pressing him about the DOE’s inaction on the remediation efforts at the Weldon Spring Site.
In July, Senator Hawley sent a letter to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, urging the Department conduct additional testing for radioactive contamination at the Weldon Spring Site, after a review of the site in 2021 led the MDNR to offer an extensive critique of the DOE’s cleanup and monitoring efforts at that location.
The letter reads in full:
September 28, 2023
Mr. David Turk
Deputy Secretary
Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20585
Dear Mr. Turk,
I write in response to your September 7, 2023 email regarding the contaminated Weldon Spring Site. As I previously wrote in my July 24, 2023 letter to Secretary Granholm, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is alarmed by deficiencies in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) monitoring of contaminants at the site, and so am I.
Despite your assurances that the site is “remediated,” the Missouri Department of Natural Resources reports concern that uranium contamination may be spreading from Weldon Spring into local groundwater. Needless to say, contamination of groundwater is grossly unacceptable. I trust that I need not remind you the health consequences of uranium contamination are significant, causing kidney and heart damage. The residents of St. Charles County deserve to know how DOE will ensure they are not exposed to contaminants in their water.
Despite these significant concerns, and despite my previous letter, you did not come prepared to answer questions about the Weldon Spring site during your recent testimony. I was likewise disappointed that your follow-up email failed to answer whether the DOE will revise its sampling plans in light of MDNR’s concerns. The people of St. Charles County deserve to know if DOE is ensuring their groundwater’s safety.
I am asking you once again to please provide a clear timeline on when DOE will revise its sampling plans and when Weldon Spring will be fully remediated. I look forward to your timely response. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley
United States Senator