Collinsville, Oklahoma
February 26, 2015
TFM Superfund Site Waste Could Be Contained Within 1 Year
~200,000 Cubic Yards Of Contaminated Material Will Be Sealed On-SIte At Former Collinsville Smelter (Tulsa Fuel and Manfacturing Site)
This drawing (from the charts presented to a handful of concerned citizens at Collinsville City Hall Feb. 26, 2015) shows what the containment area may look like when work is completed within the next year. There will be other areas within the former Tulsa Fuel and Manufacting site which will have material relocated (to the containment area) leaving them "suitible for residential living" according to DEQ officials at the final public meeting here before work begins. Those "re-claimed" areas will have a deed notice to prevent any drilling or wells. Ownership of the former smelter site is unclear and linked to up to 30 potential owners (according to the DEQ) but none could be found liable for the entire cleanup thus making it a superfund site in 1999 (after tests showed contaminants with high levels of arsnic, lead and cadmium). The site is 1.3 miles south of city hall at the end of 12th Street near the railroad crossing to Old Highway 169/Garnett.
The plan for the on-site containment of the waste was changed recently to rely on the natural "high-placity" clay under the material to hold the waste rather than a plastic liner. This provided a considerable cost savings for the project with no reduction in effectiveness claimed. Most of the waste material is located on-site but a small amount (~1600 cubic yards) will be moved from adjacent properties south and north of the former smelter into the containment area. The next 30-60 days will be needed to select the contractor for the work. Another 45 days of pre-construction work will be followed by about 10 months of construction work to complete the site.
Current site (above showing contaminated areas in purple) and future site (below)
Pastor Kelvin Limbocker (of the adjacent Faith Fellowship Church) was one of the few citizens present for the public meeting at City Hall Thursday Feb. 26, 2015. Limbocker had several questions on plan details and timeline for completion of the project. Other questions came from Suzzane Dunn from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Dept, and two individuals from the Cherokee Nation.
Note: The "other" Collinsville smelter site (east of the railroad tracks & most other offsite waste) is addressed by the "Collinsville Soil Program" and is not part of this separate DEQ superfund (TFM) effort. -- Ted Wright

Previous Coverage

I'll be working on a page today ... but if you are interested in the smelter waste containment meeting last night ... I have the DEQ powerpoint slides online now ... and any public comments to DEQ are due by March 2nd. -- Ted 11:30am Fri 2/27/2015

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