An EPA official told the Dewey-Humboldt Town Council that they found elevated levels of arsenic in the Chaparral Gulch area near the Iron King mine and smelter Superfund site, according to a story in the Prescott Daily Courier. EPA released a fact sheet on the findings [right]. They urged that children not be allowed to play in the area.
The EPA rep said the report on Superfund site will be released this fall, but that test data from more than 700 samples are online at www.epa.gov. EPA scientists took another 400 samples in recent weeks.
EPA project manager Leah Butler was reported as saying 40% of the 50 private water wells sampled had arsenic above the federal drinking water standard of 10 parts per million.