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NPL Site Narrative for ASARCO, Inc. (Globe Plant)
ASARCO, INC. (GLOBE PLANT)
Denver, Colorado
Federal Register Notice: May 10, 1993ASARCO, Inc.'s Globe Plant covers approximately 92 acres at 495 East 51st Avenue, Denver, Colorado, near a neighborhood commonly known as Globeville. The site is in an industrial, commercial, and residential area of Denver and Adams Counties, on the western edge of the South Platte River channel and approximately 2.7 miles upstream of where the river meets Clear Creek. With the exception of the southeast section, the majority of the site is on a terrace that rises from 30 to 60 feet above the South Platte River floodplain.
The Globe Plant began operating in 1886, producing gold, silver, copper, and lead. In 1901, American Smelting and Refining Co. (later renamed ASARCO, Inc.) purchased the site and converted it to a lead smelter. In 1921, lead smelting was replaced by arsenic trioxide production, which lasted for about 5 years, when the plant changed to cadmium production. Currently, cadmium, litharge (lead oxide), thallium, and other high-purity metals are produced.
Local and State governments, as well as EPA, have investigated the site over the years. In 1974, the Colorado Department of Health (CDH) analyzed water and sediment in Industrial Ditch, which borders the site to the west. The ditch has historically received runoff from the ASARCO facility and conveyed excess surface water through a series of conduits to the South Platte River. Elevated levels of cadmium, lead, and zinc were detected downstream of the ditch. In 1980 and 1981, CDH found that ASARCO was violating the Colorado Solid Waste Disposal Sites and Facilities Act. In December 1981, the State sued ASARCO for damages to natural resources under CERCLA Section 107. As a result, the State and ASARCO conducted joint remedial investigations, which yielded a comprehensive report characterizing onsite wastes and documenting elevated levels of cadmium, arsenic, and zinc in ground water, surface water, surface water sediments, and soil. Among the waste sources releasing hazardous substances are the former Neutralization Pond and associated Precipitate Pile, the Slag Pile, and contaminated soil both on and off the site.
Wetlands and fisheries within 15 downstream miles of the site are subject to actual and potential contamination from surface water that has migrated off the site.
Contaminated soil extends from the plant for several hundred feet in all directions, and underlie homes of 300 residents of nearby Globeville.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.