{ "culture": "en-US", "name": "", "guid": "", "catalogPath": "", "snippet": "Depiction of potential arsenic contamination in the Puget Sound region due to the ASARCO smelter. \n\nAsarco\u2019s copper smelter operated for almost 100 years in Ruston, Washington, a small town within the borders of the City of Tacoma. The Tacoma smelter opened in 1890 as a lead smelter. Asarco purchased it in 1905 and converted it to a copper smelter. In 1912, the company added arsenic recovery facilities. The Tacoma smelter specialized in processing ores with high arsenic levels. \n\nA large smokestack dispersed arsenic and lead across a wide area. Asarco released smelter emissions through a smokestack. The company replaced the original smokestack in 1917 with a 571 foot stack. Air emissions from the plant traveled with the wind and settled onto soils across more than 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound Basin. Metals in the emissions, mainly arsenic and lead, settled on the surface soils. The smelter closed in 1986.", "description": "

This map shows the general pattern of arsenic contamination from Ruston (Tacoma Smelter Plume) By Census Block Group. With 90% certainty, at least 1 in 10 parcels will have soil arsenic at or above levels shown. Predictions are based on distance and direction from the former Asarco smelter, and on sampling data from forested and other soils undisturbed by development. Actual arsenic levels may vary greatly from parcel to parcel.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/DIV><\/DIV><\/DIV>", "summary": "Depiction of potential arsenic contamination in the Puget Sound region due to the ASARCO smelter. \n\nAsarco\u2019s copper smelter operated for almost 100 years in Ruston, Washington, a small town within the borders of the City of Tacoma. The Tacoma smelter opened in 1890 as a lead smelter. Asarco purchased it in 1905 and converted it to a copper smelter. In 1912, the company added arsenic recovery facilities. The Tacoma smelter specialized in processing ores with high arsenic levels. \n\nA large smokestack dispersed arsenic and lead across a wide area. Asarco released smelter emissions through a smokestack. The company replaced the original smokestack in 1917 with a 571 foot stack. Air emissions from the plant traveled with the wind and settled onto soils across more than 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound Basin. Metals in the emissions, mainly arsenic and lead, settled on the surface soils. The smelter closed in 1986.", "title": "Tacoma Smelter Plume Arsenic Contamination Footprint", "tags": [ "Washington State Department of Ecology", "ECY", "Toxic Cleanup Program", "TCP", "ENV", "environment", "arsenic", "ASARCO", "Tacoma", "Tacoma Smelter Plume", "environment", "Ruston", "Tacoma", "Vashon Island", "Maury Island", "pollution", "toxics" ], "type": "", "typeKeywords": [], "thumbnail": "", "url": "", "minScale": 150000000, "maxScale": 5000, "spatialReference": "", "accessInformation": "Dr. Pierre Goovaerts and Washington Department of Ecology(Ian Mooser)\n\nPlease see the \"Tacoma Smelter Plume Residential Yard Sampling and Cleanup Program: Program Design and Implementation Plan\" \nAppendix B \u2013 \"Service Area Map Development\" https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/1309081.html", "licenseInfo": "

Disclaimer: Actual arsenic levels may vary greatly from parcel to parcel. Property-specific sampling is necessary to determine the actual amount of arsenic on a given property. How to Sample your own soil - http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites_brochure/dirt_alert/2011/Soil-samp-bro.htmlPattern and Description of the Tacoma Smelter Plume:There are three major factors to Arsenic deposition (the three D's) but many others exist. 'D'irection- wind rose direction,'D'istance, 'D'isturbance1. Arsenic tends to exceed state cleanup levels more often than other metals. Lead is the other main contaminant.2. Arsenic and lead are found mainly in the top six inches of soil.3. In areas where soil has been moved or turned over, contamination can be deeper.4. Undisturbed areas, such as forests, tend to have higher levels of contamination.5. In general, levels are related to distance and direction from the former smelter. Levels decrease with distance and are higher along the dominant north-northeast and south-southwest wind directions.Created a dataset for arsenic(0 to 6 inches sample depth) that had similar study characteristics in the field and lab. Various environmental studies were reviewed because of the size of the study area. Ecology reviewed data from over 130 studies and found 23 studies that had applicable data. Theses studies contained over 22,500 disturbed-residential samples and 1469 undisturbed samples for our analysis.Ecology Disclaimer - http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html<\/SPAN><\/P><\/DIV><\/DIV><\/DIV>", "portalUrl": "" }