EPA sues railroad over Eureka leaks

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday filed suit against the Union Pacific Railroad Co. for the incurred costs of removing and investigating substances from a Utah site.

Court documents state that hazardous substances, including lead and arsenic, leaked at the Union Pacific Eureka Mills NPL Site located in Eureka. The site, approximately 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, has residential areas nearby.

Between 2001 and 2002, the EPA cleaned up 71 residential properties in Eureka, court documents state. Federal officials also set up a program to voluntarily test the blood of children at risk each year. The EPA also established educational outreach programs for nearby residents and a voluntary program for "in-home soil and dust sampling."

Court documents say the federal government will continue to incur costs as a result of the hazardous leak.

The U.S. government has asked that the court declare Union Pacific's liability so that Union Pacific would be required to recover any further costs incurred by the cleanup. The suit did not state an exact dollar amount.