By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Representatives of some 200 Connecticut homeowners were in St. Louis Thursday to pressure the Olin Corporation to expedite the cleanup of their neighborhood.
Olin, which makes copper alloys and ammunition, is based in Clayton. The group from Hamden, Connecticut lives on the site of a former landfill containing lead, arsenic and other chemicals.
Olin spokesman Richard Koch says the company originally created the landfill at the request of the city to deal with a mosquito problem.
"So Olin really tried to be responsible at the time, and we will continue to be responsible to the town in terms of working through the issues that we now have," Koch said.
Olin is facing a 2006 deadline to restore the neighborhood to residential standards established by the state of Connecticut.