Resolution 5742 - Laserfiche WebLink

ATTACHMENT 1 5. Background and Goals 5.1 History The Everett Smelter Site previously hosted a smelter plant which, at the turn of the century, was one of the largest industrial facilities in Everett. In 1894, the Puget Sound Reduction Company began operating the smelter, refining ores primarily from the Monte Cristo mining district. Some of the ore from the Monte Cristo mining district contained over 25 percent total arsenic. To recover arsenic from the ore (arsenic has historically been used in such things as pesticides and wood preservatives), an arsenic processing plant was constructed on the southern end of the Everett Smelter Site. In 1903, a corporation that subsequently became ASARCO Incorporated ("Asarco") bought and continued operating the smelter. Asarco subsequently dismantled the smelter in 1914 and 1915. Asarco sold the smelter and its surrounding land-holdings through a series of transactions between 1914 and 1936 to different buyers. About 18 acres were purchased and subsequently developed into residential neighborhoods. During an environmental investigation in 1990, an outcrop of slag was discovered on the hillside below East Marine View Drive. As part of the investigation, slag, soil, and ground water samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of heavy metals. Ecology was notified that a release of a hazardous substance had occurred. Ecology investigated and subsequently designated the area as the Everett Smelter Site, a state cleanup site under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). Over the next few years numerous investigations and analyses were conducted on the site and surrounding areas. Laboratory analysis demonstrated releases of arsenic, cadmium, and lead to the soils found in the residential area on the site. In 1994 and 1995, Asarco voluntarily implemented a property buy-out program for the homes located in the area now generally defined as the "Fenced Area." Asarco expanded its property buy-out program and purchased all but fifteen of the residences in the area south of Broadway, east of Balsam Lane, north of Butler Street, and west of East Marine View Drive. Since Asarco's purchase, all of the homes located within the Fenced Area have been vacated and demolished. Many of the homes adjacent to the Fenced Area have also been vacated. Until recently Asarco has leased some of the Asarco Houses for residential use. Community Renewal Plan-page 7