Recasting the Smelter | Former ASARCO Smelter Site, El Paso, TX

  • Press Release: Real Estate Contract

    The Trust would like to announce that the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System has authorized to proceed with the potential purchase of the former ASARCO El Paso Smelter property. We are working to finalize a contract and move toward closing in the next 30 days. This milestone is the culmination of many years of collaboration and planning between the two entities.

    All net proceeds from the potential property sale will go directly into the Trust to be used for future environmental operations, maintenance and monitoring plans.

    Click here for PDF version.

    Site Property Boundaries

    Site Aerial Footage, November 3, 2016

    Site Aerials – Click thumbnails below for Before and After

    • ASARCO Aerial - Feb 2000February 2000
    • ASARCO Aerial - May 2008May 2008
    • ASARCO Aerial - Feb 2016February 2016

  • El Paso, Inc. – Letter from the Publisher, by Tom Fenton

    Please click here to read the letter regarding the Trustee’s efforts and current site timeline.

  • Updated 2016 Project Goals

    Major Construction Items

    • Construction of the final soil cover and surface water management system on the plant facility
    • Construction of the Fines Pile soil cover sand surface water management system
    • Construction of the lined Upper Reach Drainage Channel
    • Construction of the Parker Brothers Arroyo outlet
    • Coordination of drainage and grading construction activities associated with Border HY375

    Key Regulatory Agency Items

    • Response to TCEQ/USEPA comments on the Response Action Plan (RAP)
    • Preparation and Submittal of the Response Action Completion Report for the soil remedy (RACR Soils) to TCEQ/USEPA for approval

  • Community Meeting

    A Community Meeting regarding the Former ASARCO Smelter Site was held on June 16, 2016. The purpose of this meeting was to inform the public of the current status of the site remediation. Please click here to view the Community Meeting Presentation.


    Photo by David Crowder, El Paso, Inc.

  • Community Meeting Announcement

    A Community Meeting regarding the Former ASARCO Smelter Site is currently being scheduled for June 16, 2016. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the public of the current status of the site remediation.

    Downtown Main Library
    501 N Oregon
    El Paso, TX 79901

    Time: 5:30-7:00PM

    Additional information will be provided if available.

    Visit the Trust’s website: www.recastingthesmelter.com.

  • Upper Parker Brothers Arroyo Improvements Underway

    • Parker Brothers Arroyo - January 2012January 2012
    • Parker Brothers Arroyo - September 2012September 2012
    • Parker Brothers Arroyo - January 2015January 2015
    • Parker Brothers Arroyo - 2016June 2016

  • Safety is Our Priority

    Since the ASARCO remediation project start in 2010, our project team has worked nearly 455,258 hours with no recordable incidents or lost time. We are committed to project safety and success.

    ERM (and subs) ~193,150 hours to date

    ARCADIS (and subs) ~245,600 hours to date

    AKJV ~10,050 hours to date

    UPRR ~6,458 hours to date

  • COMMUNITY SIGNUP

    We invite members of the community to sign up onto our email distribution list to receive email announcements and updates of current and upcoming activities at the ASARCO site.

  • TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

    The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the regulatory agency overseeing the cleanup of the ASARCO site. More information regarding the ASARCO site can be found on TCEQ's website.

  • ABOUT PROJECT NAVIGATOR, LTD.

    Project Navigator, Ltd. (PNL) is an environmental engineering and project management company. Read more