Dewey Humboldt Smelter Site and Iron King Mine

	03/2010 Humboldt Smelter Dust Photos courtesy of A.Preston		This dust is from soil contaminated w/ Lead & Arsenic. A typical windy afternoon.

Welcome to the Dewey-Humboldt Smelter & Iron King Mine Website. This website was formed from an idea that one concerned mother could make a difference for those of us who live here in the town of Dewey-Humboldt and near the Superfund site.

My name is Rose. I started my fight when I first noticed railroad artifacts coming up from my soil in 2005. I began with inquiries regarding my property in conjuction with the Smelter and it's history. The progress was slow, but since then I have been in contact with the EPA, and I am doing my best to stay informed.

I, along with others, formed the Community Coalition of Dewey-Humboldt. We are a non-profit organization set up to receive the EPA TAG grant. The grant will ensure that the communication between the EPA and the community is being understood to the fullest.

"The journey of a thousand miles beigns with one step. " -Lao Tzo

This website was launched on April 9th, 2010, due to the community concerns and vocal opinions of local citizens regarding the Iron King Mine/Humboldt Smelter Superfund, and the surrounding areas, which both air and soil samples were tested and deemed contaminated by the EPA. High levels of Arsenic and Lead, among other contaminants, are in this dangerous and suffocating dirt that you see in the pictures above. Properties lie within yards from where this dust is blowing, and it covers most of the area of Humboldt. ~Breathing in this air could have future affects on our health and especially our children's health.~

We hope that you attend the quarterly EPA meetings - they are very informative. Should you have questions, they can be answered during those meetings. Representatives from the EPA, ADEQ and ASU usually attend these meetings which are held at the Town Hall on Tuesday evenings.

Since the EPA meeting on April 27, 2010, the owner's of the Smelter have put a protective covering over the tailings to prevent the scattering of dust which contains Arsenic and Lead. This application should last up to one year before it needs to be reapplied. So far, this has been working. At the Iron King Mine, individual owners have laid down wood chips on their property to hold the dust down. The EPA is still working with other owners.

Announcements

10/3/2010: To date we have had the EPA public meeting where the Community Coalition was introduced as well as the Technical Advisor for the TAG. We are awaiting the TA's finalization of the RI and FS research so that we can move forward with a community meeting. I am hoping to plan for a late October meeting; and perhaps we can coincide with the EPA, ADEQ and other local, state and federal partipcants.

The EPA has been doing some clean up on local properties near the Humboldt Smelter and at Iron King Mine. I can say from my experience as a home owner on the Smelter site, it has been a noisy inconvenience, but the results should prove beneficial. The EPA is cutting into the earth at 1 foot and testing. They are finding that the soil is testing at, or around 160 ppm at the 1 foot level. Which, if you have been keeping up, the backgroud for this area is 39 ppm. They are continuing to the depth of 2.5 feet, putting a barrier down and back filling with clean soil.

As a community, we still have to consider the Smelter property, and the property at Iron King Mine. All input and inquiries are welcome. Please feel free to discuss in our forum, or call 928-632-5586 with your questions and/or concerns, and we will be as helpful as possible to addressing the community as best we can.

5/10/2011: We have signed Ninyo & Moore, a Geotechnical and Environmental Sciences Consultant Firm, to be our Technical Advisor Group. Bob Jones will be the liaison. The Coalition would like to welcome Ninyo & Moore to the TAG and to our community.

5/03/2011: The Coalition has chosen a firm for the Technical Advisor position. As it stands, we are in the midst of signing a contract. The community, as a whole, will be notified as to the Technical Advisor and Firm chosen as soon as all aspects are finalized.

3/02/11: We are in the process of receiving and reviewing Technical Advisor applications for the Technical Assistant Grant we received from the EPA. We expect to have an Advisor in place by the end of March. We met with representatives from the EPA and ADEQ today and discussed the progress of CCODH. Many of you in the community ask questions regarding health concerns and the short term and long term effects of exposure, I have been given names of those whom, you may contact regarding your concerns. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov is the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. More names will be added as they become available. Please be patient as we are doing our best to keep you informed.

9/5/2010: I am proud to announce that The Community Coalition of Dewey-Humboldt has taken on the challenge to obtain the Technical Assistance Grant offered by the EPA. They are currently looking for volunteers to help organize the TAG grant. Should you be interested, you can contact them via email at dhsmelter@gmail.com, or call 928-632-5586. Any volunteer help is appreciated.

"Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done "

-Justice Louis Brandeis