ITOPICS OF INTEREST: • What is Site Assessment? • Mercury Awareness Community Action Campaign I* Flat Creek I MM is Finalized on the NPL Site Assessment Program Contacts Site Assessment Sensations VOLUME ISSUE SPRING 2010 What is Site Assessment? The Site Assessment program works with states and tribes to assess and prioritize hazardous waste sites for cleanup. We evaluate sites to determine whether they qualify for listing on the National Priorities List (NPL) and consult with states and affected tribes to deter- mine which sites should be listed. The Site Assessment pro- ! gram is the first door into ' the Superfund process. Site Assessment Manag- ers (SAM) evaluate sites for potential threats to public health and the environment, and will also direct sites to different programs if it is deter mined that another program could better address the site conditions. Once a site is discovered and it is determined that it would be most beneficial to evaluate the Taking water samples in the Upper Animas, Silverton Colo- rado site conditions through the site assessment process the, SAM begins the evaluation process. SAMs can at any time during the Site Assessment process refer sites to other programs such as the emer- gency response, removal, RCRA or a State Voluntary Clean-up program. SAMs would do this if the information gathered through the investigation sup- ports the decision that the site would benefit more from be- ing evaluated under one of the I programs mentioned above, I instead of going through the I Site Assessment process. 1 For more information please visit: http://www.epa.gov/ regionS/superfund/siteassess.html Community Awareness Action Campaign Leeds mining District, Utah- Over the last several years EPA and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality have been involved in assessing risks to human health and the environment associated with historic mine operations in the Leeds mining district. The assessments have lead to EPA removal actions at several of the larger ore processing mills due to high levels of mercury in the mine wastes. As with most large scale mining dis- trict, even after the removals there remain numerous smaller mine waste piles with uncontrolled access. Utah DEQ and EPA staff worked jointly to develop a public awareness campaign aimed at minimizing incidental exposure to wastes that could contain mercury. The result of this partnership was a thoughtful and well planned com- munity awareness campaign and action plan to appropriately handle potential mercury tailings and mer- cury casks located in residential areas around the town of Leeds. If you have concerns about harmful contaminants in your area please contact a Site Assess- ment Manager, listed on the next page. •I Tailings piles in the Leeds Mining District which may contain mer- cury. ------- x * --• • x Flat Creek Iron Mountain Mine and Mill is Finalized on the NPL With the support from the Town of Supe- rior, Mineral County and the State of Montana the site was finalized as a Na- tional Priorities List (NPL) site in Septem- ber 2009. Throughout the process of listing this site, EPA and the Montana Department of Envi- ronmental Quality (MTDEQ) regularly met with local officials and members of the public to provide information and answer questions from the community. EPA interviewed community members and leaders to learn about residents' concerns, determine preferred ways for communica- tion with the community, and to obtain historical knowledge of the area. EPA used information from these interviews to de- velop a Site-specific Community Involve- ment Plan In 2009, EPA set a goal of sampling 250 yards and began an aggressive outreach program to encourage property owners to have their property sampled. This outreach effort included presentations, a booth at the County Fair, and going door-to-door. Community participation was so great that by the end of the summer, over 300 properties had been sampled and more than 200 properties were scheduled for sam- pling in 2010. The sampling results show that 28 of 317 properties sampled need some additional investigation and 25 of will be cleaned up in the summer of 2010. Without the community's and local offi- cials' support, EPA would not have been able to conduct such a comprehensive sam- pling effort. The Need for Superfund The State of Montana and the U.S. Forest EPA contractors removing lead- contaminated soil along Town street during a 2002 Cleanup Action. Service received clean-up money from a bankruptcy claim against American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), a responsible party. The money received is only available for cleaning up the mining and milling areas of the site, but not areas in and around the Town of Superior. Therefore, Superfund Listing was important because it would provide Superfund money and authority to assess and cleanup identified risks to public health in and around the Town of Superior. The site investigations, com- munity outreach, and relationship build- ing done by the Site Assessment Program and the EPA Montana Office enabled this site to move through the listing process and achieve an end result that would pro- vide the long term-comprehensive clean- up through EPA's Superfund Program. Moving Forward EPA hosted a public meeting on May 12, 2010 to discuss the 2009 sampling results and upcoming 2010 activities. Those activities include cleanup of the 25 properties with elevated lead and/or arsenic levels and a second round of soil sampling. In addition, EPA is part- nering with the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Mineral County Health Department to offer a health screening for residents of Superior. The screening will measure blood lead and urinary arsenic. Pregnant women and families with young children (6 years old and younger) are encouraged to participate in this screening pro- gram. EPA is also partnering with the US Forest Service, the MTDEQ, and Min- eral County to begin investigations into the extent of contamination present along Flat Creek, just outside of Supe- rior. EPA is now implementing its Community Involvement Plan. For more information about the Flat Creek/TMM Site, contact: Les Sims, EPA Project Manager, 406- 457-5032 sims.leslie(@,epa.gov Diana Hammer, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, 406-457-5040 hammer.diana@epa.gov 303-312-6943 Site Assessment Program Contacts Margaret Williams, Site Assessment Manager for Utah williams.margaret(@,epa.gov Sabrina Forrest, Site Gwen Christiansen, NPL Assessment Manager for Coordinator and Site As- Colorado and South Dakota forrest. sabrinatgiepa. gov 303-312-6484 sessment Manager for Montana Christiansen, gwentgiepa. gov 303-312-6463 Robert Parker, Site As- sessment Manager for Wyoming and North Dakota parker.robert(@,epa.gov 303-312-6664 PAGE 2 SITE ASSESSMENT SENSATIONS EPA Region 8 908-N1-0001 ------- |