Now Playing

Loading streams...
170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting

Tagged: Dewey-Humbolt

KNAU and Arizona News
4:00 am
Thu April 26, 2012

Dewey-Humbolt Residents Worry about What the Old Mine Has Left Behind

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Zac Ziegler
The Humboldt Smelter sits just off of Main Street in Dewey-Humboldt. The smelter has been out of use since the 1960s, but toxic metals are still coming from the sites.
Credit Zac Ziegler
Both the smelter and the Iron King Mine have been closed off by the EPA in order to keep people from getting to close to the most contaminated parts of the super-fund sites.
Credit Zac Ziegler
The tailings pile from the Iron King Mine, as seen from Main Street in Dewey Humboldt. The massive pile of orange soil that was left contains high amounts of metals such as arsenic and lead.
Credit Zac Ziegler
Water and wind erosion are evident all around the tailings pile near Iron King Mine.
Credit Zac Ziegler
The view from near the entrance of Iron King Mine and the top of the tailings pile. Mining equipment that used to be common to this site has now been replaced by scientific study equipment used by the EPA, ADEQ, and the University of Arizona.
Share
E-mail
Comments
By

The town of Dewey-Humboldt, just east of Prescott owes its existence to mining. 

The mining and smelting operations there produced over one-hundred-million-dollars since the 1870s. 

But the industry that was the town’s lifeblood may now be responsible for making the residents sick. 

Residents of Dewey-Humboldt gathered at the local elementary school last week.

They came to hear the latest on the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans for the area. 

Read more