Superfund Sites in Reuse in Arizona
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Apache Powder Co.
The Apache Powder Co. Superfund site is in Cochise County, Arizona. It covers about 9 square miles, including 1,200 acres of land owned by Apache Nitrogen Products (ANPI), formerly the Apache Powder Company. ANPI began making industrial chemicals and explosives on site in 1922. ANPI previously disposed of solid and liquid wastes on its property. In the late 1980s, sampling detected metals and explosive wastes in some on-site soils and unlined evaporation ponds. Nitrate and perchlorate were also found in groundwater on site and off site. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. Cleanup includes groundwater extraction, treatment using a constructed wetlands system, and monitoring. Cleanup also includes off-site disposal and on-site capping of contaminated soils and the supply of bottled water to affected homes. In 2009, EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program (SRP) supported a reuse assessment for the site to determine whether solar energy generation would be a suitable future use, given remedy and other site constraints. In 2010, ANPI put in solar awnings and a canopy to provide electricity for its administration building. At times, the system generates more electricity than the building needs; excess energy goes onto the grid. ANPI also used solar energy to power ongoing groundwater cleanup and monitoring efforts, but the system was dismantled once the ponds were functioning well. ANPI continues to make chemicals on site. Commercial businesses, including a freight trucking business, are also on site. The constructed wetlands along the San Pedro River serve as habitat for area wildlife.
Last updated December 2023
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 2 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 76 people and generated an estimated $55,073,890 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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ASARCO Hayden Plant
The ASARCO Hayden Plant site is next to the towns of Hayden and Winkelman in south-central Arizona. It is 100 miles southeast of Phoenix and 50 miles northeast of Tucson. Almost 100 years of smelting activities deposited heavy metals across residential and industrial areas in both towns. A 2002 Arizona Department of Health Services health assessment found the contamination. EPA did not list the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). It considers it an NPL-caliber site. EPA addresses it through the Superfund Alternative Approach (SAA). From 2008 to 2009, cleanup efforts dug up and replaced soil at about 250 properties in Hayden and Winkelman. In 2018, ASARCO finished putting in new equipment and pollution control technology at its plant. Investigations are ongoing. The site’s feasibility study will look at possible cleanup options based on results from the Remedial Investigation Report. The Asarco Hayden Plant is still in use. Surrounding uses include recreation areas, neighborhoods and schools.
Last updated December 2023
As of December 2023, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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Indian Bend Wash Area
The Indian Bend Wash Area Superfund site is in Scottsdale and Tempe, Arizona. There are many industrial facilities on and near the site. Until the 1970s, industrial solvents were typically disposed of directly on the ground or in dry wells. These disposal practices and other releases resulted in soil and groundwater contamination. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1982. In 1987, to manage the cleanup, EPA divided the site into two areas. The first area – North Indian Bend Wash (NIBW) – is a 10-square-mile groundwater plume north of the Salt River in Scottsdale. The other area – South Indian Bend Wash (SIBW) – is a 3-square-mile groundwater plume south of the Salt River in Tempe. Cleanup in the NIBW area addressed soil contamination with soil vapor extraction. Five groundwater pump-and-treat systems run as part of ongoing cleanup efforts. At the SIBW area, cleanup addressed soil contamination with soil vapor extraction. EPA approved monitoring of the natural breakdown of groundwater contamination at the site’s three groundwater plumes. A pilot test of in-place chemical oxidation helped meet groundwater cleanup goals for the chlorinated solvents groundwater plumes within the SIBW area. More recently, per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been discovered to be widespread in Tempe groundwater, including the SIBW monitoring wells. In 2016 The City of Tempe suspended pumping at three municipal supply wells due to PFAS. EPA is initiating a new Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to determine the extent and sources of PFAS contamination and evaluate alternatives to cleanup the site. EPA has reviewed all former IBW contaminant source areas for potential vapor intrusion risk as recommended in the 2016 Second Five Year Review. Vapor intrusion exposure was not a known concern during remedy selection for the NIBW and SIBW areas in the early 1990s. Only NIBW Area 7 in downtown Scottsdale requires further action to address vapor intrusion. Sub-slab depressurization systems have been installed at an adjacent apartment complex and commercial event center. EPA is beginning negotiations with potentially responsible parties to perform a new RI/FS for the remaining vapor intrusion contaminant source at NIBW Area 7. Groundwater cleanup of the Scottsdale groundwater plumes at NIBW is a long-term process. The site’s central groundwater treatment facility started running in 1994, with treated groundwater available for public consumption the same year. Currently, there are 5 groundwater extraction and treatment facilities operating to extract and treat contaminated groundwater which extends across 3 aquifer units. Two treatment plants, at NIBW Area 7 and NIBW Area 12 remove and treat higher concentrations from near contaminant source areas. Three other facilities extract and treat water at lower concentrations from the periphery of the plume. Treated water is blended into the Scottsdale municipal water supply to meet federal drinking water standards Scottsdale and Tempe are large municipalities in Arizona. Continued uses at the site include residential, commercial, recreational, industrial, ecological, military and public service areas. These uses include coffee shops, restaurants, a police department and hospitals.
Last updated December 2023
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 65 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 1,422 people and generated an estimated $283,512,952 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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Motorola, Inc. (52nd Street Plant)
The Motorola, Inc. (52nd Street Plant) Superfund groundwater site underlies a 7-mile stretch of a highly urbanized region in east-central Phoenix, Arizona. It includes the former Motorola 52nd Street Plant, which made semiconductors, as well as the downstream Honeywell International aerospace manufacturing facility. In 1982, Motorola found an underground storage tank leaking at its plant. Further studies identified soil and groundwater contamination. In 1986, Motorola (now known as NXP) voluntarily began operating a groundwater treatment system. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 and expanded NXP’s groundwater remedy in 1991. Cleanup included soil and groundwater treatment. With EPA oversight, NXP and Honeywell International constructed and implemented a second, downstream groundwater treatment system in 2001. Since 2010, EPA, NXP, and Honeywell have studied and mitigated potential vapor intrusion concerns throughout the plume area as well. EPA, the state and the site’s potentially responsible parties are evaluating other potential sources of contamination. Cleanup is ongoing. Commercial and industrial operations overlying the groundwater plume include manufacturing facilities, wholesalers, offices and service businesses. Honeywell remains active on a portion of the site. Continued land uses on non-source areas of the site include residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
Last updated December 2023
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 26 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 780 people and generated an estimated $290,320,681 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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Phoenix-Goodyear Airport Area
The Phoenix-Goodyear Airport Area Superfund site is in Goodyear, Arizona, about 17 miles west of downtown Phoenix. The site includes two areas – Phoenix-Goodyear Airport (PGA)-North and PGA-South. PGA-North is the location of the former Unidynamics facility. This part of the site includes three parcels formerly owned by the Crane Company. The city of Goodyear zoned the parcels for commercial and industrial use, and the parcels are undergoing development. PGA-South includes the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport and adjacent commercial and industrial properties. The City of Phoenix owns the airport property, and JRC Goodyear owns these commercial and industrial properties. PGA-South is the site of the former Litchfield Naval Air Facility. In 1981, the state identified contaminated groundwater and soil near the airport. Contamination came from the maintenance and operation of military aircraft at the naval air facility and the manufacturing of military explosives at the Unidynamics facility. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup includes treating groundwater, extracting soil vapor, and removing and capping contaminated soil. Cleanup is ongoing. The airport and associated businesses remain active on site. A manufacturer of prefabricated homes is next to the airport. Other airport tenants include two airline flight schools and an aircraft maintenance company.
Last updated December 2023
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 26 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 410 people and generated an estimated $43,662,850 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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