Old \Vorks/Last Anaconda Superfund Site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/anaconda.htm
&EPA
UWtedSfote
Office of Emergency and
Remedial Response
(5201G)
EPA540/F-98/013
OSWER 9378.0-20FS
PB 98-963215
April 1998
www.epa.gov/superfund
Old Works/East Anaconda Smelter
Anaconda, Montana
A Superfund Redevelopment Success
Old Works/East Anaconda
Development Area at a Glance
Problem: Contamination from over a century of
copper smelting activities threatened local
residents, polluted the 1,500-acre Old Works/East
Anaconda Development Area, and threatened a i
nearby blue ribbon trout stream. |
Solution: Covered and revegetated over 250 acres I
of the site, and established controls to ensure the |
long-term viability of the cover.
Redevelopment: Working in close partnership with
the local community and the potentially responsible
party, EPA designed a cleanup that allowed for the
construction of a golf course and a hiking trail, as
well as future development of adjacent commercial
and residential property.
Jack Nicklaus personally tests one of
the course's many bunkers that use
black slag from the former smelter,
noting that it "played very nicely".
As part of the Superfund program, EPA is entering into partnerships with States, local
governments, and private developers to clean up and return hazardous waste sites to
beneficial uses in the community. The Anaconda Smelter Superfund site, a former
copper smelting facility located in Anaconda, Montana, demonstrates how EPA's
Superfund program has returned the land to economic usability. Once a contaminated
area that threatened human health and the environment, a portion of the Anaconda
Smelter site has become an award winning golf course providing jobs, income, and
other short- and long-term economic impacts. This fact sheet describes the cleanup and
redevelopment at the site, and provides estimates of the positive economic impacts and
environmental and social benefits that have resulted at and around the site.
Site Snapshot
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Old Works/East Anaconda Superfund Site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/anaconda.htm
The Anaconda Smelter property is
located in and around the town of
Anaconda in Deer Lodge County,
Montana. The site is bound to the north
and east by Warm Springs Creek, to the
south by the Anaconda-Pintler
Mountains, and to the northwest by the
Flint Creek Mountains. Approximately
10,500 residents of Deer Lodge County
reside within two miles of the property.
Anaconda Smelter was once one of the
shining stars of the American mining
industry. Located in the foothills of
Montana's Pintler Mountain range, this facility first began copper smelting operations in
1884. Anaconda Smelter quickly rose to national prominence due to its astounding annual
production and exhaustive pursuit of copper from the surrounding area. In 1980, the
Anaconda Smelter shut down, leaving the townspeople of Anaconda with a weakened
local economy and a landscape contaminated by a century's worth of copper mining.
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Cleanup
In September of 1983, EPA added Anaconda Smelter to the Superfund National Priorities
List—the Agency's list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. Because of Anaconda's
size and the magnitude of waste that was present on the property, EPA developed a
cleanup plan that divided the site into 11 distinct units. One of these units focused on the
Old Works/East Anaconda Development Area, a 1,500-acre portion of the site that was
used as the primary smelting and processing area from 1880 to 1902, and was later
identified by the local community as desirable for development. This area contained over
1.4 million cubic yards of soil, slag, and flue dust contaminated with heavy metals such
as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc.
To clean up the Old Works/East Anaconda Development Area, EPA formed a partnership
with the local community and ARCO, the potentially responsible party, to find a remedy
that would not only ensure the protection of human health, but also retain the historical
significance of some of the buildings in the area, and allow for the eventual
redevelopment of the property. In 1994, after extensive discussions with both ARCO and
the local community, EPA presented a cleanup plan that accommodated the development
of a golf course over a portion of the Old Works/East Anaconda Development Area.
Under EPA supervision, over 200 ARCO employees worked to cap the 250-acre area that
would be used for the golf course. They covered the contaminants with 18 to 20 inches of
soil, revegetated the area, and installed a state-of-the-art drainage system. ARCO
employees also stabilized contamination areas on other parts of the site through
construction of soil covers and revegetation. To ensure the long-term protection of the
nearby watershed, EPA also directed ARCO to upgrade the embankments along Warm
Springs Creek.
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Cleanup at the former Anaconda Smelter site paved the way for
construction of a unique golf course.
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Redevelopment
The geographic locale and surrounding vistas of Old Works/East Anaconda Development
Area made the site an ideal candidate for a recreational facility.
In conjunction with the cleanup of the area, ARCO enlisted the help of golfing legend
Jack Nicklaus to design a golf course, in part because he had previously designed golf
courses on waste dumps in Michigan and lava fields in Hawaii. Nicklaus preserved and
incorporated many of the property's original structures into the features of the course. For
example, golfers play beside old smelting ladles and chip in sight of flues, smelting
ovens, and some of the property's original brickwork. The bunkers on the course are
filled with over 14,000 cubic yards of inert smelting slag that was ground to the texture of
sand. A state-of-the art water drainage system directs excess rainwater to a holding pond
for eventual reuse for course irrigation.
"This golf course is perhaps the
biggest environmental story in the
golf course industry,"
• Jac* AicWaus, Golf Course Designer
In 1994, ARCO and Deer Lodge County signed a conveyance document and entered into
a prospective purchaser agreement (PPA) with EPA, which transferred ownership of the
golf course to Deer Lodge County. As part of the PPA, EPA ensured that ARCO retained
liability for the contamination at the site, required ARCO to maintain the integrity of cap,
and required that all deeds for the property include restrictions that prevent disruption of
the cap. In addition, Deer Lodge County agreed that all revenues from the golf course
over operating expenses would support the historical preservation of the site and
maintenance of the hiking trail, and allow for continued economic and recreational
development within the County.
A historic trail also has been created adjacent to the course. This trail is designed to
highlight Anaconda's smelting heritage and attract tourists interested in viewing the
copper mining techniques of years past.
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Old Works/East Anaconda Superfimd Site
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Benefits
The partnership among EPA, the State, and ARCO at the Old Works/East Anaconda
Development Area has had a positive effect on the local economy. In particular, the
cleanup and redevelopment of the site have resulted in significant economic impacts, as
well as environmental and social benefits. A summary of these benefits is provided
below. Additional information on the calculations used to estimate the economic impacts
is provided in the Technical Appendix to this fact sheet.
Economic Impacts
Positive Economic Impacts
Redevelopment of the Old Works/East
Anaconda Development Area portion of
the site and the successful construction of a
golf course have resulted in numerous
positive economic impacts in the form of
jobs and associated income and local
spending. During the four years of cleanup
activities at the site, an average of 30 jobs
were supported each year with an estimated
total annual income of $750,000. In
addition, an average of 12 jobs were
supported each year during the two years of
redevelopment of the site, resulting in an
estimated $380,000 in total annual income.
During its six month season, the Old
Works Golf Course supports approximately
20 full-time, permanent jobs. The total
annual income associated with these
permanent jobs is estimated to be
$480,000, which is expected to result in
annual personal spending of almost
$390,000.
The redevelopment of the site as a golf course also results in public revenue. For
example, the income associated with the permanent jobs will result in over $30,000 in
State income tax. In addition, the county expects to receive approximately $250,000
annually from the revenues of the golf course.
An average of 30 jobs per year
supported during the four years of
cleanup and almost 12 jobs in each of
the two years of redevelopment.
$750,000 in total annual income
associated with cleanup jobs and
approximately $380,000 in total annual
income associated with
redevelopment jobs.
20 permanent jobs at the golf course.
Approximately $480,000 in annual
income associated with permanent
jobs resulting in almost $390,000 in
personal spending each year.
Over $30,000 in State income
associated with spending by
permanent employees.
Increase of up to $395,000 in total
residential property values within 2
miles of the site.
" I think the work that you've [EPA]
done is outstanding and I'm sure
that the community appreciates not
only the cleanup but the economic
development that it will bring to the
area."
- fttetatie fifjcpatnfcft, tocaf fssfdar*
The cleanup and redevelopment of the site also has positive effects on property values at
and around the site. For example, the cleanup is estimated to have led to an increase of up
to $395,000 in total residential property values within 2 miles of the site. There also have
been numerous inquiries into the availability of the site property surrounding the golf
course from several businesses. The additional development around the site will likely
result in additional positive impacts for the local community. The golf course and
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http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/anaconda.htm
accompanying hiking trail are also expected to trigger additional indirect economic
impacts in the form of increased tourism dollars to local businesses (e.g., retail stores,
restaurants).
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Environmental Benefits
In keeping with EPA's mission, the
primary benefit achieved through the
cleanup of the Anaconda Smelter property
is the long-term protection of human health
and the natural environment. Soil, slag, and
debris which were tainted with heavy
metals presented a possible risk to residents
who live in proximity to the site through
direct contact, incidental inhalation, or
ingestion of the waste.
Environmental Benefits
Protection of residents who live, work,
or play around the property.
Protection of species whose habitat
surrounds or encompasses the site.
Protection of Warm Springs Creek—a
blue ribbon trout stream within the
local community.
In addition to serving as the foundation for the Old Works golf course, the cap also
eliminates the long-term risks to the residents. By preventing the off-site migration of
waste, the cap also protects the aquatic species in Warm Springs Creek—a blue ribbon
trout stream. The cap also serves to protect the species whose habitat is on or around the
site, including the mule white-tailed deer, moose, elk, and other smaller mammals.
ARCO is monitoring the cap to ensure that it maintains its structural integrity and that
contaminants are not migrating off the site. EPA is overseeing ARCO's efforts, thereby
ensuring continued protection of site visitors and the surrounding environment.
"ft was a (and that no living thing -
not the deer that now teave
footprints in the black bunkers or
the blue birds that now buzz the
fairways-would have reason to
inhabit. Now clean Warm Springs
Creek, filled with trout, borders the
front nine and rushes through the
back,"
WSGA Gctf Journal
Postivc Impacts from Cleanup and Redevelopment of
Old Works/East Anaconda Development
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Old Works/East Anaconda Superfund Site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/anaconda.htm
OW Works Golf Course
• Avenge of » fob* ptr ywur wtftpiNttd during
of JJKMHX) by pMmwwtt tmpaycM.
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Old-Works/East Anaconda Superfund Site http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/anaconda.htm
that is likely to catalyze additional redevelopment of the surrounding community.
HfP]eople used to stay away from the
area. Following the cleanup, however,
1 think many people will come to the
area, not just for gotf but also for
the area's recreational opportunities
as well."
- Steve Wctiiff, MaregsrofOtdWbrtcs Gctf
Course
Back to the top
For More Information
The Technical Appendix to this fact sheet provides detailed information on the economic
impacts associated with this site, including the specific calculations used, sources of
information, and possible limitations associated with the calculations. To obtain copies of
the Technical Appendix for this fact sheet, or to learn more about economic analyses
performed for this site or other Superfund sites, please contact:
John Harris, Senior Advisor for Economics,
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code 5204G
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
(703) 603-9075
harris.john(5),epamail.epa.gov
For further information about the cleanup and redevelopment of the Old Works/East
Anaconda site, please contact the site manager:
Charles Coleman, Remedial Project Manager,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Building
Drawer 10096
Helena, MT 59626
(406) 441-1150 Ext. 261
coleman.charles@epamail.epa.gov
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Old Works/East Anaconda Superfund Site
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Economic impacts presented in this fact sheet represent positive local impacts occurring at and
around the site. Available information does not allow a determination of whether or how many
of the jobs associated with the cleanup and redevelopment are new. Consequently, the
economic impacts presented in this fact sheet are not "net" impacts. Although the
redevelopment of the site also may generate other positive impacts throughout the rest of the
economy, this analysis does not quantify these indirect effects or estimate any offsetting
negative effects or costs.
Whenever information specific to the site was available, it was used. However, certain
numerical estimates are, of necessity, based on general formulas rather than site-specific
information and are, therefore, approximations. Although there may be uncertainty associated
with many of these estimates, point estimates are used throughout the fact sheet. The
economic impacts reflect the information available at the time of fact sheet development and
may change over time. Monetary estimates are expressed in July 1997 dollars. Estimates of
jobs associated with cleanup and redevelopment are presented as annualized values,
reflecting the average number of jobs per year.
Technical Appendix
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