KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella.
New testing samples show contamination in Henry County's soil and water. The testing was ordered by county commissioners after widespread community concerns over the presence of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing chemical.
The latest preliminary results released on May 6 show the chemical contaminant is located in multiple areas throughout the county.
This most recent testing joins two other tests showing similar, concerning levels of hexavalent chromium. The three separate tests show there are higher than EPA acceptable levels of the cancer contaminant on resident property, at the local school district and in water samples from Montrose Lake, Deepwater Creek and Truman Lake intake.
Test reports from Evergy and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) state there are no 'concerning levels' of chemicals, and any traces are well below the state accepted levels.
Multiple lawsuits claim Evergy is responsible for the spread of the chemical, as the company deposits coal by-products at their facility in Henry County. The process can create a product known as fly ash, which has been linked to the contaminant hexavalent chromium.
Evergy has denied they are at fault.
Davis R-12 School District is just a few miles away from Evergy's Montrose coal facility.
The playground on the school grounds in Henry County has been empty for months. The district moved classes to a nearby church in January after learning of the initial testing results showing hexavalent chromium, arsenic, lead and cobalt on school property.
Two other tests since then have confirmed traces of cancerous chemicals at the school above the accepted EPA screening levels.
Stacey Shanks has three sons who would have been in the classrooms for the last week of school.
"There's a lot of unknowns and questions," Shanks said. "We don't know what's going to happen."
With chemicals near the traditional classrooms and classes taking place in a church instead, Shanks decided to send her kids to another school in Clinton to finish out the year.
"There's no lunchroom, there's no playground, there's no library, computer lab, there's nothing like a school setting [at the church]," Shanks said. "We've had to go from sending our kids off on the bus everyday to big changes and waiting in three different pick-up lines."
Shanks explained no information has been released if kids will return to the school grounds in August, and claims school administrators won't answer questions about hexavalent chromium levels.
"We are pushing for answers from the school right now and they don't have much to say to us," Shanks said.
KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne brought those concerns to school administrators. Officials have denied interview requests multiple times since February.
The superintendent sent a statement on Thursday.
"At this time, the District continues to consult with the appropriate professionals and agencies regarding the environmental situation on our property," Superintendent Karen Mefford said. "The District has previously provided information and statements and remains committed to ensuring our students and staff are in a safe learning environment. We continue to communicate with our stakeholders regarding the same."
Henry County leaders are also pushing for answers.
Northern Commissioner Mark Larson expressed his concerns with the discrepancy in Evergy's and DNR's testing that there are lower levels than the county's testing.
"It shouldn't be there at all," Mark Larson said. "If we're seeing levels now, how much worse is this going to get?"
None of the five tests completed connect Henry County's chemical levels to Evergy's coal deposit site.
Evergy released a statement expressing concerns over the quality of the resident, school's and county's testing:
"The Sunbelt Environmental Services report is not credible and contains obvious errors. The report fails to demonstrate hexavalent chromium in any concerning amount, fails to show any risk to human health, and fails to connect any result to any Evergy operations," a spokesperson wrote in a statement. "None of the sampling results provided by Sunbelt, Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Triangle, or Occu-Tec suggest any connection between the sites that were tested and Evergy’s operations. As part of a coordinated testing effort with Henry County and MDNR, Evergy hired independent company Haley & Aldrich. In March 2025, Haley & Aldrich collected soil and water samples at the same times and from the same locations as the tests conducted by Sunbelt Environmental Services and MDNR. All Haley & Aldrich test results showed chemical concentrations, including hexavalent chromium, within limits deemed safe by state and federal standards. Analysis performed on these results show no risk to human health. The results align with the independent sampling conducted by MDNR, which also concluded there is no human health risk."
But Larson and others in the community claim Evergy's facility is the largest location handling fly ash in the town.
"[Hexavalent chromium] activates when it gets wet," Larson said. "So, if it's floating in the air and it lands on your skin, it's not that big of a deal. Unless you're sweating. Or if you breathe it in."
A Henry County couple filed a lawsuit against Evergy for ''unreasonable handling'' of hazardous waste. A few weeks later, a class action lawsuit was filed against the company, too. Attorneys representing the class action lawsuit estimate thousands of people would be covered under the suit.
"This can be proven in court, they're going to have to be held accountable for it," Josiah Town said.
Town lives nearly 14 miles away from Evergy's site. He explained testing revealed hexavalent chromium present at his home farm.
"It's definitely concerning, especially when you have kids involved," Town said.
Town got his testing results months ago and has been wary of his kids playing in certain areas of the farm.
"You just never think when you move out here to raise your family and start your dream you'll be dealing with chemicals potentially getting your kids sick," Town said. "I hope there's a way for them to decontaminate the land and for them to clean up this mess."
