Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri, will reopen and resume partial tours today after a three-month closure because of cancer-causing fumes believed to have come from a Superfund site.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that the upper portions of the caves with ancient mineral formations no longer pose a health risk to visitors or employees.
“I couldn’t be happier and of course my employees are too,” said Lester Turilli Sr., CEO of Meramec Caverns. “There’s light at the end of the cave.”
Turilli posted on the caverns’ Facebook page Thursday night:
CAVE IS NOW OPEN!!!
Caverns open for tours June 10th at 9 am.
Meramec Caverns voluntarily closed the cave on March 10th because of concerns by the EPA that small amounts of TCE could pose a potential health risk. The health and safety of our employees and visitors is paramount.
All actions taken to reduce levels of TCE have been successful in resolving the problem in the front and upper portions of the cave which is now open for tours. The TCE levels in the open part of the cave no longer pose a health risk to employees or visitors.
Currently tours are not being given in the back part of the cave as we continue to resolve that issue as soon as possible. We are offering discounted ticket prices of $16 for adults and $8 for children until we can offer the entire tour.
According to earlier reports, the TCE fumes — from a grease solvent — likely came from the former TRW/Ramsey facility a few miles away in Sullivan, Missouri, where auto parts were manufactured, and the Sullivan landfill.
The U.S. EPA reported this spring TRW would build a ventilation system and airlock doors in the caverns to remove or mitigate the fumes. TCE is a carcinogen that also affects the central nervous system, kidneys, liver, immune system, male reproductive system, and fetuses.
Lester Dill opened Meramec Caverns to the public in 1935. Dill also is known for inventing the bumper sticker to help promote his attraction to travelers along nearby U.S. 66. The caverns lie a few miles south of Route 66 in Stanton.
The caverns supposedly served as a hideout for Old West outlaw Jesse James, although it has never been proven. Dozens of billboards and a few barns on Interstate 44 and other highways promote Meramec Caverns. About 100,000 people reportedly visit it each year.
(Image inside Meramec Caverns by el-toro via Flickr)