By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing
to work with Eureka to remove soil contaminated by the
operations of silver and lead mines in the history of the
community.
Paula Schmittdiel, representing the EPA, and David Bird,
representing the State of Utah, met with commissioners to
request help from the county in removing debris on some
private properties so that EPA can remove the soil on those
properties and replace it with uncontaminated soil.
"The county should offer the same help to Eureka that it
offers to Mona and Levan," said Robert Steele,
commissioner.
Schmittdiel said the clean-up day would be sometime in
the spring, most likely at the end of April.
She said some properties have a lot of material on them
that needs to be cleared away to make way for EPA
contractors to get in to do the needed work.
"In some instances, it is a burden on the property owner
to clear away the property so that we can get in to do our
work," said Schmittdiel. "Some need more assistance than
others. If you could provide some men and equipment it would
make the clean-up a successful event."
The EPA has agreed to cover the disposal cost in an
effort to support the residents of the community, said
Schmittdiel. The debris collected will be put in piles in
the city yard and then will be disposed of at a later date.
It will be left there temporarily.
The EPA is planning to make a new collection area where
debris can be hauled as soon as a land exchange can be
worked out, said Schmittdiel. Then there will be a permanent
collection area that will no longer be on Main Street.
County equipment, however, cannot go onto private
property, and, therefore, county crews and equipment will
take the debris from the edges of the property to the
collection area. The EPA will need to remove the debris from
the property to an area where county crews can pick it
up.
The clean-up of Eureka began in the fall of 2000 when
elevated levels of lead were found in the blood samples of
some of the children of the community. Thus far, 75
residential properties have had the top 18-inches of soil
removed and replaced. Those lots have also been
re-vegetated.
"Sometimes we have replaced the soil with 6-feet of
fill," said Bird.
The EPA gets federal funding and the state matches those
funds, he said.
"This town presents a unique problem" said Schmittdiel.
"We have trouble getting independent contractors to come out
to the community to do the work."
She said a basic general contractor received the
contract. The problem was getting sub-contractors to do the
work.
It was expected, she said, that the work in Eureka would
continue until approximately, 2009. As much work would be
done each year as the funding would allow, she said.
"We did the actual testing of all homes," said
Schmittdiel.
Now, she said, the EPA is proceeding using a color coded
map. In addition, as the agency works through the community,
more sampling is done. It is found that one lot, next to a
contaminated one, will not need the soil replaced.
"Why is that? People moved dirt," she said. "Where was
the best place to get soil for your lot? From the piles at
the mines."
Piles of that mine waste have been capped.
"We have relocated the entrance to the city yard," said
Schmittdiel.
In addition, the have relocated the Knightsville road,
build a new retaining wall, and have developed a secondary
water system and built a 1 million gallon holding pond.
"We are making the old railroad grade into a temporary
haul road so that we will not have to pass the high school
and will not chew up the roads with out equipment," she
said.
The off-road trucks used by the EPA are extra-large and
heavy so they can haul more but those trucks would destroy
county roads not built to take the weight.
Bird said that two alternate roads have been planned
simply because one was needed but it was not clear where
that road would be allowed.
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