Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
6/14/2001
Final Date
9/05/2002
Eureka Mills
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Site Type: Final NPL City: Eureka County: Juab Street Address: Entire town Zip Code: 84628 EPA ID#: UT00022401 Site ID#: 0801644 Site Aliases: Eureka Hill Mill, Bullion Beck & Campion Mill, Bullion Beck Mill Congressional District: 1st |
The Eureka Mills Site has received over $25 million in new funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. EPA will use the money to clean up 160 properties at the site that are contaminated with waste from historic mining activities. The additional dollars will also pay for the stabilization and capping of three large mine waste areas and construction of sediment ponds and other drainage control features to prevent metals-contaminated rain and snowmelt run-off from spreading contamination into clean areas.
Site Status & Updates
The 2008 Five-Year Review has been posted. The Site Documents section contains the text and all appendices and tables.
- A total of 454 residential cleanups that have been completed at the Eureka Mills Superfund Site (the "Site"). An additional 84 property cleanups are scheduled for cleanup during the 2009 construction season.
- EPA settled with Union Pacific Railroad (the "UPRR") in 2005. UPRR has completed its cleanup of Upper Eureka Gulch as part of its settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA"). EPA has determined that UPRR has fulfilled its obligations under the Consent Decree.
- EPA has begun to assess the environmental risks (e.g., impacts to plants and animals) in Eureka to determine whether mining has impacted Eureka's ecological environment. EPA is also conducting a groundwater investigation to determine the historic mining impacted the groundwater environment. Information on the results of the ecological risk assessment and the groundwater investigation will be available in the late spring of 2009.
Site Description
The Eureka Mills Superfund Site is located in the East Tintic Mountains approximately 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in Juab County, Utah. The town of Eureka is part of Utah's historic Tintic Mining District. Eureka was founded in 1870 upon the discovery of a high-grade mineralized outcrop containing silver and lead, as well as other minerals including gold, copper, and arsenic. The area was extensively mined until 1958. Although the Tintic mining district produced 2,648,000 ounces of gold, Eureka has since suffered an economic decline as the result of the boom and bust cycles inherent in the mining industry
Large waste rock piles and associated waste material resulting from mining operations are located primarily on the south side of the valley immediately adjacent to residences and businesses. Mine waste was distributed around Eureka by mining activities, such as transport along rail lines and milling operations. Some of the mine waste material was also used for urban construction in Eureka. Wind and water erosion also contributed to the spreading mine wastes within the town.
The town of Eureka was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in March 1979. Today, there are numerous examples of a once prosperous mining district such as old mining structures, massive wood head frames, and the ruins of mills and buildings. This community of 800 people is very proud of its mining history and wishes to preserve the artifacts and legends of the past.
Site Risk
Preliminary sampling conducted in July 2000 by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (the "UDEQ") and EPA found high levels of lead and arsenic in area soils. The state of Utah and EPA sampled over 500 residential lots and tested the interiors of more than 50 homes. The levels of lead found in outdoor residential areas range from as low as 35 ppm (the "parts per million") to as high as 22,000 ppm with an average of 1,472 ppm.
The State and EPA also sampled mine waste piles. Lead concentrations in the mine dumps and adjacent areas were fairly high, ranging from 2,000 ppm - 51,000 ppm.
In July of 2000, the Central Utah Public Health Department (the "CUPHD") conducted limited blood sampling for lead levels in 18 children residing in the community. The results of that sampling indicated high levels of lead in excess of 10 micrograms per deciliter (the "ug/dl") Centers for Disease Control (the "CDC") health standard. The high levels of lead in the blood samples triggered further investigation by the Utah Department of Health (the "UDOH") in the fall of 2000. The UDOH did blood testing for lead on 237 Eureka residents in September, 2000.
This effort combined both 1) blood testing for lead and 2) a survey of behaviour patterns that may impact lead exposures. The tests showed that 30 residents, mainly children, had lead levels in their blood above the standard of 10 ug/dl. Studies have shown exposure to high levels of lead and arsenic may pose a health risk to children and other sensitive people. EPA and UDOH responded to these results by follow-up blood testing and conducting health education in Eureka schools. Additional blood testing for lead levels done in September 2001 identified other children with elevated lead levels. In the past, some 50 children were identified with lead in their blood at levels of concern.
Recent blood test results indicate that the lead levels in Eureka children have dropped considerably. The decline in lead levels has been so successful that, in the spring of 2008, EPA and the UDOH agreed to reduce the frequency of blood testing for lead from quarterly to an annual test at the end of the summer.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Soil | Lead, arsenic | Mining and milling wastes |
A Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment (the "BHHRA") was conducted in 2001 to identify the nature and magnitude of risks posed by mining-related waste to Eureka residents. While several metals were determined to be contaminants of concern, lead is the primary contaminant based on current and future health risks. Modeling results indicated that 100% of all properties have lead levels above EPA's health-based goal and the predicted incidence of children with blood samples showing elevated lead levels greater than 10 ug/dL is 69%.
Cleanup Progress
In 2001 and 2002, EPA's Emergency Response program cleaned up 72 residential properties where contaminated soils with lead levels exceeding 3000 ppm were determined to pose the highest risk to children. In September 2002, EPA listed the Site on the National Priorities List (the "NPL"). That same month EPA and UDEQ signed a Record of Decision (the "ROD") for remediation of 15 mine waste areas (waste piles & mill Sites) and approximately 700 residential properties. In May 2003, the Remedial Action Work Plan (the "RAWP") -- the comprehensive blueprint for construction work -- was completed in accordance with the ROD by EPA and UDEQ which is the comprehensive blueprint for the construction work. Cleanup work began in August of 2003 and is expected to continue until 2010.
EPA identified a number of Potentially Responsible Parties (the "PRP") at the Eureka Mills Superfund Site. Some of these parties are unable to pay but have provided EPA with in-kind contributions such as access to land for soil and rock materials or water for dust control for the cleanup. One of the PRPs has also provided property access for on-site repository construction to facilitate disposal of the contaminated residential soils. The contributions offset some PRP liability and reduce EPA's cleanup costs.
In addition to the above PRPs, EPA has identified two other PRPs -- Atlantic Richfield (the "AR") and Union Pacific Railroad (the "UPRR") -- which do have the financial resources to conduct some cleanup work which offsets PRP liability.
AR settled its liability with EPA in 2004. AR completed the cleanup work in accordance with the RAWP on the Chief Mine No. 2, the MayDay- Godiva mine waste piles. AR constructed two large sediment ponds and drainage systems to control and direct drainage as part of the cleanup. In addition, AR constructed a pipeline for a secondary water supply system to provide the project with sufficient water for dust control.
UPRR settled its liability with EPA in 2005 and completed its work under a consent decree in 2006. UPRR conducted the cleanup on Upper Eureka Gulch and produced rock materials (rip-rap, armoring, and roadbase) necessary for the cleanup at the Lime Peak quarry near Eureka.
EPA and the State are conducting and funding the majority of the cleanup work -- the cleanup of all residential properties and most of the mine waste areas. In 2004, EPA completed the remediation of the Gemini-Bullion Beck mine waste piles and the Lower Eureka Gulch which passes through this mine waste area. In 2004, the EPA commenced cleanup of the residential areas, completing some 454 residential properties plus the 72 properties remediated under the Emergency Response Program during 2001 and 2002.
AS of November 2008, EPA had completed construction of two roads to a quarry (a source of rock and soil) and to processing areas approximately a mile from the Site. EPA also completed the remediation of the Eagle Blue Bell mine, transition zone, and dump; completed the construction of the Eagle Blue Bell Mine drainage and haul road; and partially completed the remediation of the north face of the Chief Mine No. 1 mine waste pile. EPA has also completed the remediation of the Snowflake and Eureka Hill mine waste piles. In addition, the construction on the Open Cell is two-thirds complete. The Open Cell is for future disposal of contaminated soils when redevelopment occurs after EPA completes the Remedial Action. EPA expects to complete construction of the Open Cell in 2009. In 2008, EPA began remediation of the Chief Mill Site No. 1 and expects to complete that in 2009.
The National Historic Preservation Act (the "NPHA") requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of their undertakings on historic properties. EPA conducted cultural and archeological surveys of Eureka and surrounding mining areas to determine the potential impact of the cleanup in Eureka. The surveys identified unavoidable impact on historic structures. To mitigate the negative impacts on historic properties, EPA restored the Bullion Beck head frame located at the west entrance to Eureka and in 2006 -- in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office, UDEQ, City of Eureka, and Eureka citizens -- EPA began restorative work on the Shea building, which has significant historical significance for the town of Eureka. Restoration of the Shea was completed in April 2007.
In 2008, in coordination with UDOH, EPA initated a program to sample tap water, household dust and paint for lead in homes where children have been identified as having elevated lead levels in their blood. The results of this indoor sampling will provide parents with information about potential exposures in the home that they can address themselves. Because lead levels in blood samples have been declining in recent years, UDOH has scaled back its free quarterly blood testing for all Eureka residents to a single annual blood test.
Local ordinances governing the excavation and disposal of contaminated soil, a health education program, and ongoing blood testing are being implemented to protect Eureka residents. EPA continues to monitor the Site to ensure there is no immediate threat to human health or to the environment until the completion of long-term cleanup work.
Community Involvement
The Eureka community is continually informed of the work that EPA and UDEQ are doing in the area. A Community Involvement Plan (the "CIP") was developed in October, 2001. EPA revised the CIP during the summer of 2007. Community interviews were conducted in the spring of 2007 to seek community input on the revised CIP. The revised CIP is available for review in the Site Documents section below.
EPA's Remedial Project Manager provides updates to the Eureka City Council. Fact sheets are distributed whenever there is a noteworthy issue to report to the community and details are published in the Nebo Reporter. Throughout the construction season, public notices are placed in the Nebo Reporter informing the community of any immediate concerns, such as water main breaks or temporary road closures for construction activities.
Site Documents
The 2008 Five-Year Review is available on the Eureka Mills FTP Site.
Eureka Superfund Site Progress Profile - Administrative Record
Eureka Mills 2007 EOY Update Fact Sheet (4 pp, 2.3 MB)
Community Involvement Plan, September 2007 (30 pp, 1.4 MB)
Risk Assessment Fact Sheet, November 2001 (PDF, 300 kB)
Eureka Mills Site Update, Questions and Answers, August 2001 (PDF, 60 kB)
Press Release, September 4, 2002, Eureka Mills added to National Priorities List
Contacts
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EPA Paula Schmittdiel Libby Faulk |
Utah Michael Storck
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View Documents at: Eureka Information Repository UDEQ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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