OKLAHOMA
DEPAETMENl OF tHVIBOHMENTAl DUALITY
Tar Creek Superfund Site
INFORMATION BULLETIN ON CHAT SALES
Ottawa County, Oklahoma
June 2008
This Information Bulletin Will Tell You About:
• Workshop
• Chat Sales
• Site Background
• Contact Information
Introduction
In February 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) signed the Record of Decision (ROD)
for the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Operable Unit 4 -
Chat Piles, other mine and mill wastes and smelter
wastes. Chat sales are a major part of the Tar Creek
Superfund Site, Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(CERCLA) remedy.
Information Exchange Meetings/Workshops
To ensure that Site chat sales continue and that chat is
used in a manner that is protective of human health
and the environment and managed according to the
criteria provided in the Operable Unit 4 Record of
Decision and the Chat Rule, 40 CFR Part 278, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will
present a series of workshops to assist chat/land
owners and sellers with chat sales.
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Before conducting the workshops, EPA plans to host
a series of information exchange meetings in order to
gain additional insight and information on the best
approaches to encourage chat sales and compliance
with the Chat Rule. This information will then be
utilized to enhance plans for upcoming workshops for
parties interested in buying and selling chat. EPA's
envisioned plan is to meet initially with the
companies that sell chat, follow on with meetings
with Tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and our
State counterparts, all of whom have a contributing
role that will make this effort a success.
Chat Sales
Continued chat sales will contribute to a more cost
effective CERCLA remedy because there will be less
chat remaining on-site that must be addressed with
more expensive remedial alternatives and less chat
will be disposed of on-site. The removal of chat
through chat sales will reduce exposure risks. In
addition, continued chat sales are important to the
Quapaw Tribe, the State, and the community.
While EPA does not own any chat and will not
purchase any chat, it will assist chat sales participants
as part of EPA's CERCLA remedy.
Site Background
The Site is a former lead and zinc mining area located
in northeastern Oklahoma that covers approximately
40-square-miles. The mining and milling of lead and
zinc ores since the late 1800s resulted in the disposal
of mining and milling wastes that contain elevated
concentrations of lead, cadmium, and zinc.
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EPA is looking for input,
ideas and suggestions on how to
enhance chat sales.
We want to hear from you!
For More Information
If you would like additional information about this
informational bulletin or Superfund mining sites in
Oklahoma, please contact EPA Region 6's toll free
number 1-800-533-3508.
For information about the final rule entitled, Criteria
for the Safe and Environmentally Protective Use of
Granular Mine Tailings known as "Chat" please
contact Stephen Hoffman at (703)308-8413 or
hoffman.stephen@epa.gov.
If you have any questions or would like to obtain
more information about the Tar Creek Superfund Site,
please contact:
Ursula R. Lennox, Operable Unit 4 Remedial
Project Manager
U.S. EPA(6SF-RL)
(214) 665-6743 or 1-800-533-3508 (toll-free)
John Meyer, Operable Unit 5 Remedial Project
Manager
U.S. EPA(6SF-RL)
(214) 665-6742 or 1-800-533-3508 (toll-free)
Janetta Coats, Community Involvement
Coordinator
U.S. EPA(6SF-TS)
(214) 665-7308 or 1-800-533-3508 (toll-free)
News media inquiries should be directed to Dave
Bary, U.S. EPA Region 6 Press Office, (214) 665-
2208.
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 6
1445 Ross Ave. (6SF-TS)
Dallas, TX 75202
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