Whereas it’s way too early to let your children go play on the Asarco grounds, it was encouraging news that initial soil tests at the old, coming-down smelter and refinery showed no major contamination.
There remains some fear that remediation costs will be astronomical on the some 580-plus acres — especially at the 123-acre plant itself. That part is located between Interstate 10 and Paisano. If deemed safe, it can become prime real estate land.
Thought to be less contaminated is a large tract of land on the Franklin Mountains side of the freeway.
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The site is heavily contaminated – not only with secondary smelter wastes but nearly ten years of the company operating a nonpermitted illegal multi-state hazardous waste disposal operation.