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NPL Site Narrative for Silver Creek Tailings
SILVER CREEK TAILINGS
Park City, Utah
Federal Register Notice: September 18, 1985Conditions at proposal (September 18, 1985): The Silver Creek Tailings Site covers approximately 80 acres in Park City, Summit County, Utah. From 1900 to 1930, various mining companies operated on the site and disposed of approximately 700,000 tons of mine tailings. In the early 1940s, Pacific Bridge reworked the tailings in place with acids and solvents to reclaim silver. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, 30 single-family homes and 50 apartments were built on the tailings. The tailings piles were not covered or lined and are still exposed in undeveloped areas.
According to tests conducted by the Utah Department of Health, surface water and air are contaminated with lead, cadmium, and silver. The potential for ground water to be similarly contaminated is high. About 10,000 people (including the winter population) live within 3 miles of the site and depend on public and private wells for drinking water. The nearest well is less than 1 mile from the site.
Status (October 17, 1986): In proposing the Silver Creek Tailings Site in 1985, EPA evaluated the site based on information provided by the State of Utah. EPA has determined that some of the information relied on in scoring the site on the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) used to evaluate sites for the NPL is not appropriate to substantiate a score of at least 28.50, the cutoff point for listing. In the past, such sites have continued in proposed status until EPA could determine if the appropriate data could be obtained to substantiate such a score. However, Section 118(p) of the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act of 1986 specified that the Silver Creek Tailings Site be removed from the NPL unless EPA determines that site-specific data not used to propose this site indicate that the site meets the requirements of the HRS or any revised hazard ranking system. Consequently, the Silver Creek Tailing Site was removed from proposed status on October 17, 1986, the date SARA was enacted. This action does not indicate a change of EPA's existing policy of continuing to propose sites until the appropriate decision can be made.
In mid-1987, under the Superfund site assessment program, EPA and the Utah Bureau of Solid and Hazardous Waste reached an agreement on the proposed workplan for an expanded site investigation. The work includes: drilling of 10-12 wells and 8 test holes; collection of 3 rounds of surface water and ground water samples; aquifer testing; characterization of tailings and residential top soil; monitoring of outdoor and indoor air; and collection of residential vacuum carpet samples. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the U.S. Public Health Service is directing an effort to collect blood samples from nearby residents to determine lead levels.
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.