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Lincoln Park Superfund Site Record of Decision

Release Date: 1/3/2002
Contact Information:
Rebecca Thomas (303) 312-6552

Canon City-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will not require any additional work to clean up soils at the Lincoln Park Superfund site. A Record of Decision (ROD) signed today calls for no further action on the soils in Lincoln Park and postpones a decision on the groundwater underlying the area. The ROD describes the cleanup decision for the Superfund site. Lincoln Park is located in Fremont County, approximately 1.5 miles south of Canon City and is adjacent to the Cotter Corp. Uranium Mill.

On June 26, 2000, EPA issued a proposed plan on a preferred alternative for reducing uranium and molybdenum contaminants in groundwater and surface soils in Lincoln Park. The preferred alternative was for no further action for surface soils and groundwater based on the belief that existing controls and prior cleanup actions would result in reducing contaminants over time. Today's decision confirms this belief about the surface soils but requires additional monitoring of the groundwater.

The Agencies postponed action on groundwater for two reasons. First, postponing the decision will allow time for sufficient data to be collected about the effectiveness of the existing cleanup actions. Secondly, EPA established a new, more stringent, drinking water standard for uranium in December, 2000. This new standard, 0.030 milligrams per liter (mg/L), replaces the 0.035 mg/L used in the original proposed plan. After further evaluation, EPA and CDPHE will decide if further cleanup actions must be taken by the Cotter Corporation.

The next step for the Lincoln Park site will be to remove the soil portion of the site from the National Priority List (NPL), a list of hazardous waste sites requiring cleanup under the Superfund law. A public notice will be issued announcing the intent to delete. There will be an opportunity for public comment. The Record of Decision and the Responsiveness Summary for Lincoln Park can be found at the Canon City Library.