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.

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 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

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