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State Taking Soil Samples in Heavy-Metal Cleanup Effort

Posted on: Friday, 26 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

Aug. 25--COLLINSVILLE -- The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality began collecting soil samples Wednesday from residential properties as part of its cleanup of an old zinc smelter, a DEQ spokesman said.

Since conducting a public meeting with residents Aug. 17, the DEQ has been granted permission to test about 60 off-site properties for their heavy metal content, said George Thomas, a project manager for the agency.

"I think that's going to give us a real good initial footprint," said Thomas, noting that the soil sampling will continue for three to four weeks.

The DEQ is concerned that heavy metals may have been spread by the wind during operations of the former Tulsa Fuel and Manufacturing facility, 1-1/4 miles south of Collinsville and west of old U.S. 169.

Elevated levels of heavy metals can cause central nervous system damage to children and can damage internal organs in adults.

The smelter, which operated from 1914 to 1925, is an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. During World War I, Tulsa Fuel and Manufacturing galvanized weapons to prevent rust.

About 30,000 cubic yards of waste -- containing such heavy metals as arsenic, cadmium, lead and zinc -- remain at the 50-acre site.

Thus far, the DEQ has found smelter waste at one off-site location, near 12th and Maple streets, Thomas said. There, investigators found that "retorts" had been used for erosion control on the bank of a bar ditch.

Retorts, or "connie pots," are four-foot tubes in which ore was fired to extract zinc.

"I'd be surprised if it's the only place in town," Thomas said. "If they used it to support a bank on a bar ditch in one place, then somebody had that idea and used it in other places as well. I just haven't found it yet.

"When the word gets out and we start getting more of a profile in the community, then people will start coming out of the woodwork and we'll get some more response."

Air monitors, which were placed at the north and south ends of the Superfund site on Tuesday, will collect air samples for the next week, Thomas said.

The DEQ will compile the soil and air data, analyze it and announce the test results to residents at a future public meeting.

Ultimately, a remedial investigation report will be written and a feasibility study conducted to outline options for cleanup, Thomas said.

Residents with questions about the investigation are urged to call Thomas at (405) 702-5126.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Tulsa World, Okla.

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Source: Tulsa World

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