MIAMI, Okla. — Federal, tribal, state, and county health leaders hosted the third annual open house in Ottawa County on treating victims of the Tar Creek Superfund Site.
Dozens of residents from the areas of Picher and Commerce visited the Miami Civic Center to get updates from investigations and cleanup efforts and to test their kids for lead.
WATCH: 'Just take advantage': Testing those at risk of lead in Ottawa County
- See also>>> Closer look: Tar Creek Superfund Site in 2026
This is involves the decades-long toxic lead contamination around the town of Picher and the Tar Creek watershed.
Kimmy Bronk of Commerce brought her five-year-old son, Colton, to get tested for lead and to sign up for testing her property for toxic residue.
"At some point decades ago, they decided to take some of that sink and lead dust and make driveways and yards out of it," Bronk told 2 News. "Ours included. (My son) tested positive when he was like 2, and we had to do more testing to make sure. Lead is definitely a problem around here."
- Previous coverage>>> Mines that turned Picher into ghost town still 50 years away from full cleanup
"I would say as a positive though, we are moving (cleanup efforts) at a much faster pace than we were a decade ago," Quapaw Nation environmentalist Paige Anderson said.
The health department still wants to meet with those who didn't make it out to the open house but are from Ottawa County.
"It's just understanding the risks and then doing all they can to address any risk they might have," Oklahoma Department of Health regional director David Chissoe said.
"I highly recommend (getting tested for lead) when the organizations are offering this kind of thing, to just take advantage of whatever you can," Bronk said.
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