Though several parents doubted Park City School District when on Nov. 9 officials announced the two toxic dirt piles outside Treasure Mountain Junior High School would be removed within a few days of Dec. 18, the district reinforced its vow late last week.
“We’d like to inform you about the upcoming Soil Removal Operations Happening … from December 17-19,” the district said in a statement. “Access to the school grounds — including parking — will be strictly prohibited for everyone except the removal crews.”
Asked who the school district plans to hire to remove the dirt and where they plan to take it, Chief Operating Officer Michael Tanner said the soil will be loaded and hauled by Direct Push Services LLC, pending the Board of Education’s approval. They are scheduled to take a vote Dec. 12.
As for the arsenic-and-lead ridden soil’s new home, he said the smaller of the two piles will go to Republic Services Wasatch Regional Landfill in Grantsville. The larger pile could join it or be sent to other similarly approved landfills.
The troublesome soil has long proved contentious for the district and worrisome for parents. It was left on the school grounds after the school district excavated it from Treasure Mountain Junior High School grounds as well as other places throughout the district.
This was in violation of the district’s covenant with the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The Park City area has been a historic mining location since the 1860s,” a question-and-answer sheet on the district’s website states. “Due to the mining activities, processes, handling, and extraction, the byproduct metals like arsenic and lead became concentrated and can be a health concern if not handled and capped properly.”
During the Nov. 9 meeting, Tanner explained the information was lost in a transitional period, so officials were unaware of the environmental protections they were breaking at the time.
Tanner said the district anticipates the project will cost $1.5-$2 million.