EPA Superfun nears completion

SUPERIOR – The Environmental Protection Agency presented a final update to the County Commissioners on the Superfund cleanup of mine waste in Superior.

According to Duc Wyn, the representative of the EPA, the work is nearly complete with the temporary repository at the Mineral County Airport cleaned up and ready to be handed over to the county’s control. Over the course of the project, the EPA has cleaned up approximately 75 properties in Superior and moved 27 pounds per cubic yard of waste from the airport to the Wood Gulch repository.

“I can say that most of the properties in town are clean [and] we were able to remove all the contamination,” said Wyn.

The Superfund project was to remove mine waste from properties in and around Superior. In the past, it is believed piles of mine tailings were brought in for use in landscaping. Over time, toxic chemicals began leeching into the town’s water supply and began to cause safety and environmental problems.

According to Wyn, the waste could not be removed from some areas because buildings or sidewalks had been built on top of the deposits. He said these would need to be addressed in the future and landowners who make renovations will need to test the soil to determine if any toxins are present. Any new contaminated soil removed could be placed in the repository.

Roman Zylawy, commissioner for the east end, said there would need to be a way to control access of the repository after it was closed. Tim Read, sanitarian and one of the planners of the cleanup project, said he believed the Department of Environmental Quality would take ownership of the repository and handle controls related to it.

It was discussed how plant life along the Flat Creek Drainage could cause problems with the removal of any mine waste left in the area. Wyn explained it was the Forest Service’s responsibility to clean and manage the lower ridge of Flat Creek.

“[It is] something the U.S. Forest Service and DEQ are going to figure out in the next year,” Wyn said.

It was put into an agreement between the EPA, DEQ, Forest Service, Mineral County and Town of Superior, for the DEQ and Forest Service to share the costs of the repository. Wyn explained the agreement was so the public would not be charged a fee to manage and maintain the repository. He said he knew of other communities where people ignored the repository, pretended not to know about the cost or did not test their soil, because of the fee.

Superior locals seem to have taken well to the cleanup and made the job easier for the EPA. According to Wyn, other communities would fight against the cleanup and people would be reluctant to let the workers in. He said Read was able to help the EPA gain the community’s support in the project. Only one property refused them access.

The town gave plenty of support and worked well with the EPA as a result. This made the project a lot easier and Read said he was impressed with how the crews performed the cleanup. He related how workers would find mine waste and areas to be cleaned in places he had not expected to reach. Overall, the cleanup went smoothly. Read felt the EPA did a “top quality” job and he had heard no complaints about their methods or professionalism.

After the meeting with the commissioners, the Superior Technical Assistance Committee held an open house at the Chamber of Commerce office where members of the community were able to get additional information on the EPA cleanup. As part of the open house, Bob Wintergerst, a representative of the Forest Service, joined by phone to answer questions about the Superfund cleanup.

STAC is funded by an EPA grant to help the community understand the project developments and to work with the Agency.

The meeting recapped some of the items discussed in the meeting with the commissioners. However, it also discussed additional information about the post-cleanup management of the repository and the mine waste.

Dennis Hildebrand, a resident of Superior, raised a question about a second repository, which was mentioned as planned to go west of the town. Wintergerst explained this was an alternate repository to be used in the event the one in Flat Creek did not work.

Wintergerst said once the final cleanup was complete, the repository would be capped and the Forest Service would take responsibility for maintenance of the plants, which would cover the concrete cap. He explained the plants would have shallow roots, which were unlikely to reach or penetrate the cap and allow a path for dangerous toxins to escape.

Concerns were also raised of the repository’s containment ability. The repository has simple dirt walls with nothing between the waste and surrounding soil. Wintergerst explained the repository was far enough down for it to be unlikely any water would cause the dangerous toxins to leech out.

“The soil is all pretty dry down there,” he said.

Related to this was another point of discussion. It was asked why the EPA and DEQ could not incinerate the mine waste. According to Wintergerst, this would be the most expensive way to deal with the waste and a less efficient means of disposal. He explained both agencies added phosphate to the waste, before it was put in the repository, to stabilize it and prevent any contamination of the surrounding soil.

According to the EPA and Forest Service representatives, the cleanup has gone well and the repository should be secure with little risk of health concerns related to the mine waste.