United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-09-05 monographic deposited born digital 27 p. GA 1.13:GAO-03-1051R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R P0b002ee18039adb1 f:d031051r DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R GAO-03-1051R Environmental monitoring Environmental policies Hazardous substances Health hazards Land management Litigation Henryetta (OK) Correspondence A08331 From 1996 to 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a cleanup action on a former zinc smelter operated by Eagle-Picher Mining and Smelting, Inc. and other areas contaminated by materials from this site near Henryetta, Oklahoma. EPA's cleanup focused on removing the immediate health threat posed by lead- and arsenic-contaminated soil transported from the Eagle-Picher site to residential and other highly accessible areas. Cleanup actions on the Eagle-Picher site involved establishing proper drainage on the site, encapsulating the Eagle-Picher site with clay and cover soil, and establishing vegetative cover at the site to protect nearby residents from the recontamination from wind and water erosion of hazardous materials. Since completion of the cleanup, private landowners of a neighboring property have raised concerns about contamination of their property resulting from EPA's cleanup actions. Landowners allege that EPA, through its contractors, transported and negligently disposed of hazardous substances on their property. The landowners also allege that EPA's actions at the site contributed to the migration of contamination from the Eagle-Picher site onto their property. These landowners are currently pursuing litigation against EPA and the city of Henryetta for damages incurred as a result of the cleanup. EPA asserts that the cleanup met its objectives and successfully removed the immediate threat to human health and the environment. Congress asked us to provide information on (1) the environmental cleanup actions EPA conducted at the Eagle-Picher Henryetta site and (2) the actions EPA has taken in response to neighboring landowners' concerns related to the Eagle-Picher cleanup site. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R.pdf GAO-03-1051R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-1051R Correspondence GAO-03-1051R; Hazardous Waste: EPA's Cleanup of the Eagle-Picher Henryetta, Oklahoma, Site; Environmental monitoring Environmental policies Hazardous substances Health hazards Land management Litigation Henryetta (OK)