Region 8
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
12/01/2000
Final Date
4/30/2003
Partial Deletion Date
10/19/2004
Davenport and Flagstaff Smelters
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Site Type: Final NPL City: Sandy County: Salt Lake Street Address: 1 mile W of intersection USH 209 and 210 ZIP Code: 84092 EPA ID: UTD988075719 SSID: 082M Site Aliases: Davenport Smelter, Hawkeye Smelter, McKay & Revolution Silver Mining Co. Congressional District: 2 |
Site Description
The Davenport and Flagstaff site is about 15 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, Utah, in a residential area at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon. It is east of the town of Sandy, in an unincorporated area of Salt Lake County. The area includes the remains of three old smelters. Remnants of two smelters are visible in the area of 3500 E. Little Cottonwood Lane (about 9800 South). In the late 1800s, they were called the Davenport and the McKay. The Flagstaff smelter was located less than a quarter mile to the north, near 9500 South Wasatch Boulevard, on the north side of Little Cottonwood Creek.
Site Risk
Smelting operations were inefficient a century ago. Smelting byproducts emitted from the smokestack included lead and arsenic. These contaminants were deposited in soils around the smelters. Slag was also left behind from the process. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) and the Salt Lake County Health Department were alerted when a local gold prospector reported colored soils, indicative of early smelting activities. Ingestion of lead- and arsenic-contaminated soils and household dust presents the primary risk to residents.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| soils | lead, arsenic | smelting |
Cleanup Progress
In 1992, EPA conducted on-site soil analyses and found high levels of lead and arsenic. To further define the extent of contamination, more sampling was done in the area in 1994 and 1996, 1998, and 2001. EPA proposed the site for its National Priorities List in December 2000.
About 500 people reside within the area impacted by the former smelter activity. The Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for the residential soils portion of the site was completed in late 2001. A cleanup strategy, known as the Proposed Plan and Record of Decision, for the residential soils clean up was completed in 2002. More detailed sampling was conducted in 2003.
The residential cleanup selected includes excavating, removing, and disposing off site contaminated soil to a maximum depth of 18 inches. Contaminated soil in heavily vegetated areas of oak brush (native vegetation) would be hand excavated to diminish the impact on vegetation. This cleanup consists of about 21 residential properties.
In 2004, EPA began the residential cleanup. Because of the significant health risk posed by the soil contamination, the work at six properties was conducted as a time-critical response. Additional properties were addressed in 2005 and 2006 under a non-time critical removal action. Several additional residences will be completed in 2007.
A private developer, under oversight from EPA and UDEQ, has cleaned up the tree farm and vacant area north of Little Cottonwood Creek in 2006. The developer will clean up the area to the same levels used by EPA at the other residential properties. The developer is planning to create a residential community in the area.
UDEQ began the Remedial Investigation of the nonresidential areas of the site in 2006. The investigation covered the areas not addressed by the above cleanups. It consisted of surface and subsurface soil sampling, groundwater and surface water sampling, and sediment sampling. The results are being used to complete a human and ecological risk assessment and determine what alternatives will best address any contamination found.
Community Involvement
Community involvement plays an important role in the Superfund process. EPA uses a number of different tools and resources to promote effective, on-going, meaningful community involvement. The goals of the Superfund community involvement program are to:
- Keep communities affected by sites informed throughout the cleanup process.
- Provide opportunities for communities to comment and offer their input about site cleanup plans.
- Facilitate the resolution of community issues tied to a site.
Extensive community involvement has occurred at this site and continues today, especially during cleanup of residential properties. Community interviews have been conducted as part of the five-year review.
Five-Year Reviews
EPA or the lead agency conducts five-year reviews following the start of a Superfund cleanup when contamination is left on the site. These reviews are repeated every five years. We use these reviews to determine:
- How the remedy is working.
- If the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.
The first five-year is currently underway.
Site Documents
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OU2 Record of Decision, September 16, 2009 (PDF, 129 pp, 6.6MB)
OU1 Explanation of Significant Differences, November 15, 2005 (PDF, 11 pp, 33K)
OU1 Record of Decision, September 30, 2002 (PDF, 84 pp, 2.9MB)
Additional site documents are available in this public FTP folder.
Contacts
EPA
Lisa Lloyd
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (EPR-SR)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6537
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6537 (toll free Region 8 only)
lloyd.lisa@epa.gov
Pat Courtney
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (OC)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6631
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6631 (toll free Region 8 only)
courtney.pat@epa.gov
UDEQ
Thomas Daniels
State Project Manager
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-536-4090
tdaniels@utah.gov
Dave Allison
State Community Involvement Specialist
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-536-4479
dallison@utah.gov
Links
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
ATSDR Health Consultation for the Davenport and Flagstaff Smelters Superfund Site