Region 8
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
7/22/1999
Final Date
2/4/2000
Partial Deletion Date
9/4/2001
Jacobs Smelter
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Site Type: Final NPL City: Stockton County: Tooele Street Address: Smith & Johnson Streets ZIP Code: 84071 EPA ID: UT0002391472 SSID: 082X Site Aliases: Stockton Smelters Congressional District: 1 |
Site Status & Updates
National Historic Preservation Act Process Now Underway
The National Historic Preservation Act, section 106, requires federal agencies to take into account the effect of any federally funded work, such as the proposed OU2 cleanup, on potential historic properties. In 2006, EPA initiated a cultural resource survey to identify any potential historic properties. The field work for this effort is expected to be completed by the end of 2007.
Once the cultural resource survey is completed and the impact of the work on any identified eligible historic properties assessed, EPA will submit its findings to the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). If there is likely to be an impact on any potential historic properties, EPA will consult with interested parties to determine ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the impact of the cleanup work on these properties.
If you are interested in learning more about this process and its findings, or would like to be involved in the consultation process, please contact the EPA site project manager, Kathy Hernandez.
In 2005, EPA completed a five-year review for the Jacobs Smelter site and deleted the railroad properties, Operable Unit 3 (OU3), from the National Priorities List (NPL). In 2004 the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), in cooperation with EPA, completed a Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study, and proposed plan for the residential and undeveloped areas within OU2 of the site. The proposed plan identified the preferred alternatives for cleaning up contaminated soil. EPA, UDEQ and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a partner in addressing the contamination concerns on their properties within OU2, are currently working together to address historic preservation, endangered species and other important issues pertaining to final cleanup plans for OU2.
Site Description
The site is located in Tooele County, approximately five miles south of the city of Tooele, Utah. The site is approximately eight square miles in area and includes the town of Stockton and Rush Lake. UDEQ is the lead agency for implementing work at this site and EPA is the supporting agency. Additionally, the BLM is a partner in addressing the contamination concerns on their properties within OU2.
In 1998 the site was divided into three geographically-based areas called operable units (OUs):
- OU1 includes the residential properties within the town limits of Stockton, which were cleaned up in 1999.
- OU2 is primarily undeveloped land outside of the general town limits.
- OU3 is comprised only of soils within the Union Pacific railroad right-of-way within the town of Stockton. These soils were was cleaned up by Union Pacific in 1999.
The Stockton area was the center of a silver and base-metal mining, milling and smelting district from the 1860s until 1970. By 1886, several smelters had been built within the Stockton area. Jacobs Smelter was located on the northeast end of Stockton within OU1 and operated in the 1870s. The largest smelter in the Stockton area was the Waterman Smelting Works, which opened in 1871 and operated continuously until 1886. The Chicago Smelter opened on the eastern shore of Rush Lake, two miles south of Stockton in, 1873 and operated until the fall of 1880. The Carson Buzzo Smelter was located about a half mile south of the Chicago Smelter and opened two smelters in 1873.
Other smelters operated for a few years and then shut down. The exact locations of these smelters are unknown, but several sites within the boundaries of OU2 are suspected due to the presence of elevated concentrations of heavy metals detected during site sampling.
Site Risk
Studies done by UDEQ and EPA found high concentrations of lead and arsenic in area soils.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| soil | lead, arsenic | smelting wastes |
Cleanup Progress
Removal
In 1999, EPA's Emergency Response branch cleaned up the former Jacobs Smelter site and 29 of the most heavily contaminated residential properties in Stockton (OU1). Contaminated soils were excavated from each property and transported to an off-site facility. The properties were then filled with clean soil and landscaped.
Operable Unit 3
The railroad property in Stockton (OU3) also was cleaned up in 1999. Union Pacific Railroad, under an agreement with the EPA, placed a 16-inch soil cover over the contaminated soils in their right-of-way. OU3 was deleted from the NPL in 2005.
Operable Unit 1
A Record of Decision (ROD) for the remaining residential properties in OU1 was signed on July 29, 1999. In 2000, UDEQ cleaned up an additional 126 properties in Stockton. Contaminated dirt alleys and roads also were addressed. The final phase of work for the residential areas of Stockton was completed in December 2000. EPA deleted OU1 from the NPL in 2001.
Operable Unit 2
In 2004 EPA and UDEQ completed a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study for a few residences and the undeveloped areas within the site. A proposed plan identifying the preferred alternatives for cleaning up contaminated soil was completed in July of 2004 by UDEQ in cooperation with EPA. A public comment period was held to accept comments about the plan and a public meeting occurred August 4, 2004. An update to Feasibility Study cost estimates and some additional sampling will occur in 2009. A new proposed plan will be issued in the spring of 2010.
Community Involvement
UDEQ, in cooperation with the EPA, maintains regular contact with members of the community and implements a variety of community relations activities as new information becomes available. This includes distributing fact sheets, meeting with community members and local officials, holding public meetings and comment periods, and sharing information with the local media.
Although most of the residential cleanup at this site has been completed, residents who are concerned about children's exposure to lead are encouraged to contact the Tooele County Health Department. They offer free blood lead testing for children.
EPA has established an information repository containing the Administrative Record and other information about the site. The repository is available at the Tooele Public Library at 128 West Vine Street in Tooele, Utah. The library is open Tuesday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Their phone number is 435-882-2182.
EPA wants to hear from citizens who have questions or concerns about this site. You are encouraged to contact Karen Edson, EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator for this site.
Site Documents
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Note: Best way to open a very large file: right-click and save it to a folder.
Annual Update to the Five-Year Review, January 2011 (PDF, 1 pg, 17K)
Second Five-Year Review Report, September 2010 (PDF, 32 pp, 5.5MB)
– Figures
(PDF, 8 pp, 1.2MB)
– Attachments A–D
(PDF, 34 pp, 3.6MB)
Photos of Jacobs Smelter from the First Five-Year Review Report, September 2005 (PDF, 6 pp, 6MB)
Record of Decision (ROD), July 29, 1999 (PDF, 75 pp, 847K)
Contacts
EPA
Kathy Hernandez
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (8EPR-SR)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6101
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6101 (toll free Region 8 only)
hernandez.kathryn@epa.gov
Karen Edson
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (OC)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6136
800-227-8917, ext. 312-6136 (toll free Region 8 only)
edson.karen@epa.gov
UDEQ
Tom Daniels
Project Manager
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Environmental Response & Remediation Division
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-536-4090
tdaniels@utah.gov
Dave Allison
Community Involvement Specialist
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Environmental Response & Remediation Division
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-536-4479
dallison@utah.gov
View Documents at:
Tooele City Library
128 West Vine Street
Tooele, UT 84074
435-882-2182
EPA Superfund Records Center
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6473
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6473 (toll free Region 8 only)
Links
Tooele County Health Department
Utah Department of Environmental Quality