EPA, Utah DEQ outline planned removal work at Richardson Flat tailings corridor

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 8) and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality briefed the Summit County Council on June 4 about contamination from historic mine tailings along Silver Creek and a planned removal action at the Richardson Flat reach.

James Ho, a project manager with EPA Region 8, said the project covers roughly six to seven river miles of Silver Creek and involves scattered lenses of tailings that contain lead, arsenic, cadmium and zinc. The agencies have sampled soils, sediments and creek water and used streamlined risk evaluations to document exposure pathways to ecological receptors and to people.

A constrained cleanup: Ho said the site has not been listed on EPA’s National Priorities List (the Superfund list), so the agency is limited to site‑specific settlement funds and enforcement recoveries rather than access to broader Superfund appropriations. "That balance is currently between somewhere like 17 to $18,000,000, which is gonna be very short of, of, you know, a complete cleanup," Ho said, noting that a full excavation to remove the estimated volume of tailings would be far costlier.

Because of funding limits, EPA and DEQ propose a phased removal approach and have drafted an EECA that outlines removal alternatives and a preferred initial removal action. The EECA will be released for public comment and the agencies plan an open house during the comment period to explain risks and mitigation measures.

Public‑health and logistics concerns: Agency staff emphasized that any field removal would include dust‑suppression measures, perimeter air monitoring and traffic planning. They acknowledged local concerns about disruption, especially for Park City Heights residents and rail‑trail users, and plan to coordinate on signage and outreach for recreational corridors.

Why it matters: The reach contains tailings deposited historically by rail and mining operations; in some floodplain locations tailings are exposed at the surface and inhibit vegetation. Agencies said the contamination is mobilizing into the creek and affecting ecological receptors. The EECA's preferred action would begin remediation where it yields the highest, immediate reduction in exposure given current funds, and reserve further work for subsequent phases should more funds become available.

Timeline and next steps: Ho said the EECA was nearly complete and the agencies expected to publish it for a roughly 45‑day public comment period within weeks. The agencies plan to host at least one public open house in the middle of the comment period; they also asked the county and Basin Recreation to coordinate on access and landowner questions. No removal work is scheduled pending the public comment process, final action memorandum and available funds.

Ending: EPA and DEQ urged residents to watch for the EECA announcement, attend the open house, and submit written comments. The county council did not vote on any action but asked staff to stay engaged on outreach and land‑use coordination.