St. Charles drops lawsuit against Ameren that would have stopped digging of new well

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - St. Charles has dropped a lawsuit against Ameren that would have stopped the utility from building a new well in the city.

The lawsuit followed a stop-work order issued in June 2022. St. Charles issued the order to stop contaminated soil from being excavated. The city found out in mid-September that Ameren was planning to drill a new well at its police substation on Huster Road.

READ: St. Charles County, St. Charles City sue Ameren Missouri over contamination at Elm Point Wellfield

St. Charles initially said the drilling was without the EPA’s approval and could contaminate the city’s drinking water. Friday, St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said Ameren agreed to the city’s conditions to dig the new well, so the city dropped the suit.

Ameren later released the following statement:

We are pleased that the City of St. Charles has agreed to dismiss its improper temporary restraining order action. We urge the City, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has urged repeatedly, to operate their water supply wells and public water supply system in accordance with Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) regulations and the Safe Drinking Water Act and to refrain from interfering with Ameren Missouri’s remediation efforts. St. Charles drinking water is safe and complies with the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA and MDNR have stated this, and more than 20 years of testing – including last week – confirm this as well.