Six Florissant homes to be demolished for radioactive waste cleanup

ST. LOUIS COUNTY (First Alert 4) -- The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is making plans to relocate the residents in six homes on Cades Cove in Florissant to make way for the removal of radioactive contamination found on their properties.

The Corp of Engineers had long suspected that Manhattan Project radioactive waste that contaminated Coldwater Creek may have contaminated the yards of some homes during periods of flooding. Soil tests in March of 2024 found contamination in yards and near the foundations of homes.

The Corp said that the contamination did not pose a risk to homeowners or the public. Col. Andy Pannier is head of the St. Louis district.

“So it is safe in its current configuration, 2 1/2 to 15 feet below the surface,” he said.

In 2014 residents were given the impression that the contamination wouldn’t need to be removed. Now that there are plans to demolish homes and dig up the contamination, many are asking what changed.

Karen Nickel is co-founder of Just Moms STL, an organization that’s worked toward cleanup of radioactive waste for more than a decade.

“The Army Corp stated publicly that they wouldn’t have to remediate that under those homes,” she said. “And now less than a year later here we are, they’re going to buy out the homeowners. What changed?”

First Alert 4 reached out to Florissant Mayor Timothy Lowery about the plans to demolish homes and dig up radioactive waste in the city. He released this statement:

“For decades, both the city and our residents have received inconsistent and at times conflicting information regarding contamination, flood mitigation plans, and potential buyouts. This prolonged lack of clarity has contributed to confusion, frustration, and a sense of mistrust among those impacted. Promises of transparency, timely updates, and genuine engagement have not always been upheld, and our community deserves better moving forward.

We are actively seeking more information about the scope and timeline of the potential buyout and are committed to working closely with all involved agencies to ensure that impacted families have the resources, information, and they need during this process.”

Randy Adler, his wife and children lived on Cades Cove from 1991 to 2011 in one of the houses slated for demolition. Now that there are plans to relocate residents and remove the contamination, he’s concerned about the safety of his family.

“They played in foundations of houses that were built. We had a swimming pool installed so we dug up the yards for that. We planted trees, and my kids played in the creek and the creek beds. It’s all very concerning,” he said.

Pannier told First Alert 4 that the corp intended to remove the contamination all along. He said at the time of testing, a plan for removal hadn’t been created, so the agency had yet to decide on relocating homeowners and demolition homes.

But Pannier said, even though the contamination doesn’t currently pose a risk, it still needs to be removed so that a future construction project won’t disturb the soil and pose a health risk.

“In order to get all the material, some of it gets up close to the homes and could potentially be under the homes once we start the remediation. But in order to get up close to the homes, we have to demolish the homes,” he said.

Homeowners have no choice about relocating but will be compensated with money to buy a new house, as well as living expenses. And homeowners will retain ownership of the property after the homes are torn down and the contamination is removed.

Pannier said he expects the conversations with homeowners about compensation will take place in July, and the demolition is expected to begin in October.

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