Puebloans look to clean lead contaminated neighborhoods

The ‘Steel City’ is no stranger to lead problems, some Pueblo neighborhoods have harmful amounts of the toxin in its soil. Now, locals have gone through the training to fight back in neighborhoods where the lead has become a reoccurring issue.

Fifteen people recently graduated from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Job Training Initiative Program. More than eighty applied.

They were given the tools and training to clean up contamination stemming from the Colorado Smelter Superfund, located just off of Santa Fe Avenue and Mesa Avenue.

As of Tuesday, remnants of the site could still be seen from where the building stood more than a century ago.

“It was a former lead and silver smelter that was active in 1883 through 1908,” said Sabrina Forest the EPA Remedial Project Manager for the Colorado Smelter Superfund site.

“The smelter stack deposited contamination into the soil of surrounding neighborhoods,” said Forest.

That contamination includes unhealthy levels of lead and arsenic in present-day neighborhoods like Bessemer and Eilers.

“We’re eating it, we’re breathing it, we’re digging in it, and our kids are playing in it,” said Jesse Cole Wakefield, a recent graduate from the program. “It’s very bad for our health.”

Wakefield has lived in Pueblo for just a few years, working from one fast food job to the next, but now he’s got a new career ahead of him, one that can help his neighbors too.

“I figured I’d put myself in the program and try to make our community a little better,” said Wakefield.

On Tuesday, Wakefield and a few of his fellow graduates were honored at the Pueblo County Commissioner’s meeting for showing initiative to improve the community around them.

The EPA says they have worked towards cleaning up those areas in Pueblo for years now, however, more local hands are always welcomed.

“We wanted local crews to help,” said Eiler resident Richard Romero.

Romero helped the EPA with their Superfund training program. However, he says the new potential employee’s jobs shouldn’t stop at lead cleanup. “We’re looking for the beautification of our yards, so a lot of them are on board with that.”

Many of those graduates will apply for jobs with the local contractor that does the lead testing in the area.

The EPA says the program is a great way to bring new high paying careers to Pueblo where the jobs are in demand.