Asarco Tacoma Smelter Site

For almost 100 years, the Asarco Company operated a copper smelter in Tacoma. Air pollution from the smelter settled on the surface soil over more than 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound basin. Arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals are still in the soil as a result of this pollution.

Ecology is sampling and replacing soil on residential yards in the most highly contaminated areas of the plume.  We are also cleaning up play areas at schools, childcares, parks, camps, and public multi-family housing.  See the Interim Action Plan for more information.  

Ecology partners with local health departments on education and outreach through the Dirt Alert program.  You can protect yourself and your family by taking healthy actions like washing hands and taking off shoes. 

We also offer technical assistance for land owners doing cleanup during development. 

For the full website, visit https://ecology.wa.gov/Spills-Cleanup/Contamination-cleanup/Cleanup-sites/Tacoma-smelter