The Environmental Protection Agency is currently evaluating risks from lead in soils and yards at the Eureka Mills Superfund site. This evaluation follows an October 2025 Lead Directive aimed at protecting communities from contamination.
New Lead Directive Implementation
Based on the directive, the EPA will engage in additional planning, data gathering, and analysis. The agency intends to coordinate with state partners and seek public feedback regarding proposed changes.
Eureka Mills Site History
The 450-acre Eureka Mills site is located in Juab County, approximately 80 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Part of the historic Tintic Mining District in the East Tintic Mountains, the area was extensively mined for gold, silver, copper, lead, and arsenic until 1958.
Superfund Listing and Cleanup Status
Following a July 2000 inspection by the State of Utah that discovered contamination, the site was placed on the National Priorities List on September 5, 2002. Although the site was deleted from the National Priorities List on September 25, 2018, cleanup, operation, and maintenance activities remain ongoing.
Current EPA Progress and Challenges
Recent reviews by the EPA indicate that the cleanup is working according to plan and protecting human health and the environment in the short-term. However, the most recent review noted that the EPA needs to create easements at OU3 and address certain operation and maintenance issues.
Previous Remediation and Construction Efforts
The cleanup process has involved federal and state governments along with private companies. Previous actions included the grading and capping of mine waste piles, as well as excavating lead-contaminated soils in residential areas and replacing them with 18 inches of soil cover.
Completion of Major Cleanup Work
Construction work for residential and mine waste pile cleanup concluded in 2010, affecting approximately 700 residential and commercial properties. In September 2011, the EPA determined that no further action was required for ecological risks, surface water, or groundwater.
The EPA and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality will share information as it becomes available. Because lead can pose risks to children under 7 years old and pregnant or nursing women, the EPA recommends that residents living near the site with children under age 7 undergo annual lead testing if their property soil has not been replaced.
The site is divided into five operable units covering residential areas, specific mine shafts and tunnels, waste piles, and groundwater and ecological risks.
