PHOENIX — The Iron King Mine — a Humboldt smelter Superfund site will receive $15 million in federal funds to support cleanup efforts in the Yavapai County mining town, government officials announced Friday.
According to a U.S. Senate press release, this round of funding will “clean up the Iron King Mine-Humboldt Smelter Superfund site, permanently consolidate contaminated mining and smelting waste, and improve the It promises to “ensure the health and safety of nearby residential areas.” .Kirsten Sinema.
Superfund site Refers to manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills, and mines that have become contaminated due to the dumping or mismanagement of hazardous waste.
For most of the 20th century, zinc, silver, lead, and gold ores were mined at this site in the small town of Dewey-Humboldt, causing contaminated soil, sediment, and surface damage. The Environmental Protection Agency designated it a Superfund site in 2008.
The $15 million in federal funding is expected to remove arsenic from the region's soil and install two waste repositories from mine and smelter waste. Storage would prevent waste from moving further into drains and rivers.
What is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act?
The bipartisan infrastructure law, co-authored by Sinema and developed by U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, set aside $3.5 billion for Superfund sites and provided nearly $40 million for projects in Arizona.
Benefits Arizona has already received from the bill include capping orphaned oil and gas wells, reclaiming land from abandoned mines and cleaning up brownfield sites.
Mr. Sinema led Senate negotiations with Sen. Rob Portman, which also included Mr. Kelly. The bill passed 69-30 in the Senate and 228-206 in the House, and President Joe Biden signed it into law in November 2021.
