Chris Bowling has been knocking on doors in the West End offering free testing to determine lead levels in the soil in residents’ yards. The effort is part of Bowling’s investigation into the success and lasting effects of the Omaha lead Superfund site cleanup — the largest residential lead …
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling scoops up a soil sample for lead testing outside the Avenue E home of Lavon Rosiere in Council Bluffs on July 15, 2026.
A computer-simulated map shows the smelter’s plume stretching 23 miles north to south across five counties in Nebraska and Iowa. The model was created by an EPA contractor in 2024 as part of a new assessment of the site and was obtained by Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica.
EPA map obtained by Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling, right, speaks with homeowner Lavon Rosiere, left, after taking a soil sample for lead testing outside the Avenue E residence on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling, right, chats with Joel Arellano, left, outside his North 23rd Street home after taking a soil sample for lead testing on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling scoops up a soil sample for lead testing outside the North 23rd Street home of Joel Arellano in Council Bluffs on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling scoops up a soil sample for lead testing outside the North 23rd Street home of Joel Arellano in Council Bluffs on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling scoops up a soil sample for lead testing outside the Avenue E home of Lavon Rosiere in Council Bluffs on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling scoops up a soil sample for lead testing outside the North 23rd Street home of Joel Arellano in Council Bluffs on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling, right, speaks with homeowner Lavon Rosiere, left, after taking a soil sample for lead testing outside the Avenue E residence on July 15, 2026.
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling, right, chats with Joel Arellano, left, outside his North 23rd Street home after taking a soil sample for lead testing on July 15, 2026.
A computer-simulated map shows the smelter’s plume stretching 23 miles north to south across five counties in Nebraska and Iowa. The model was created by an EPA contractor in 2024 as part of a new assessment of the site and was obtained by Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica.
EPA map obtained by Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica
Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling scoops up a soil sample for lead testing outside the North 23rd Street home of Joel Arellano in Council Bluffs on July 15, 2026.