SITE BACKGROUND

The Kennecott Mines and Mill Town Site (the Site) is located in the Kennecott Mines National Historic 

Landmark (KNHL) within the 13.2 million-acre Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST), 

approximately 3.5 miles north of the town of McCarthy. The Mill Town portion of the Site is located within the 

Mill Site Unit of the Kennicott Subdivision. The Mill Town is comprised of over 100 historic structures, 

including former operational structures such as the Mill Building, Leaching Plant, Power Plant, and numerous 

housing and support structures. Currently much of the Mill Town is on lands administered by the National Park 

Service (NPS) and is a popular tourist destination. 

The Kennecott mines, mill, and related facilities 

were developed and operated by the Kennecott 

Copper Corporation between 1906 and 1938. 

The Mill Building, and later the Leaching Plant, 

received and concentrated ore from the nearby 

mines. Today, the Mill Town primarily consists 

of historic buildings and other structures that 

were used to support the copper ore processing 

operations. Known types of wastes generated as 

a result of copper ore processing operations 

include lead- and arsenic-based paint, mill 

tailings, blasting caps, boiler ash, asbestos 

containing material (ACM), and petroleumrelated wastes from spills. 

ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS

In 2015, NPS began environmental investigations to evaluate potential 

risks posed to human health and the environment by contaminants at 

the Site and to evaluate potential remedies to address identified risks.

These investigations are being conducted pursuant to NPS’s cleanup 

authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also referred to as 

Superfund. NPS is the CERCLA “lead agency” at the Site, responsible 

for planning and directing the Site investigation and cleanup activities. 

A Preliminary Assessment (PA) was conducted in 2017 and included 

review of historical reports and documentation as well as a site 

reconnaissance. Based upon the results of the PA, NPS determined that 

a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS), was necessary to 

fully characterize the nature and extent of contamination from 

historical operations that may pose a risk to the public and/or the 

environment and to evaluate alternatives for a permanent remedy. The 

first phase of field work for the RI was completed in August 2021. 

 Community Update 

 Kennecott Mines and Mill

 Town Site

 July 2023

 National Park Service

 U.S. Department of the Interior 

 Alaska Region 

 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and 

 Preserve

Picture of the Kennecott Mill Building

Soil sampling at Kennecott
PHASE II REMEDIAL INVESTIGATION TO BEGIN ON JULY 15, 2023

From approximately July 15 to July 25, 2023, NPS will be initiating Phase II of the RI for the Site. During the 

investigation, NPS contractors will be collecting environmental samples from various locations on federal lands 

in the Mill Town portion of the Site as follows: 

• Soil samples to estimate metal concentrations and assess the horizontal extent of mill tailings and 

ore/ore concentrates.

• Surface water and sediment samples from National Creek to assess Site-related contaminant migration. 

Phase II RI field investigation activities are being planned and implemented in close coordination with Park 

staff to protect public safety. Mill Town areas and buildings currently open to the public will remain open 

during investigation activities; however, an exclusion zone will be established around active work areas using 

safety cones, stakes, and/or caution tape, as needed. Residents and visitors are asked to respect the boundaries 

that are established for their safety and the safety of the sampling crew. Field work is expected to take 

approximately 10 days, with field personnel performing various tasks during daylight hours on both weekdays 

and weekends.

NEXT STEPS

As the remedial investigation proceeds, NPS will continue to evaluate 

data to further its understanding of the nature and extent of 

contamination at the Site. Ultimately, a comprehensive Remedial 

Investigation Report will document the results of the multiple phases of 

field investigation and the extent to which Site contamination poses 

potential risks to human health and the environment. 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Community involvement is an important part of the NPS CERCLA 

process. Information repositories have been established in the three 

locations identified below. These repositories house copies of the Site 

administrative record file. CERCLA administrative record files consist 

of those documents that will form the basis for the selection of the Site 

cleanup action. They may include documents such as reports of all Siterelated environmental investigations, ecological and human health risk 

assessments, community relations materials, public comments and 

responses to significant comments, and are updated periodically. Electronic copies of the documents currently 

in the Administrative Record File, including the Kennecott Community Involvement Plan, are available on-line 

on the Park’s website (https://www.nps.gov/wrst/learn/management/kennecott-mines-and-mill-town-siteenvironmental-investigation-project.htm). A copy of the Site Community Involvement Plan also is available at 

each of the information repositories; call for an appointment to review the records in person. 

Kennecott Mines and Mill Town Site Information Repositories:

NPS Alaska Regional Office 

240 W 5th Avenue 

Anchorage, AK 99501 

Contact: Sarah Venator 

Phone: (907) 644-3573 

Kennecott Visitor Center

Blackburn School 

Kennecott, AK 99588 

Phone: (907) 205-7106 

WRST Park Headquarters

Mile 106.8 Richardson Highway 

Copper Center, AK 99573-0439 

Contact: Mark E. Miller

Phone: (907) 302-1373

FOR MORE INFORMATION...

If you have questions concerning the information contained in this Community Update, please contact Sarah Venator, 

NPS Federal Government Lead, via email at sarah_venator@nps.gov, or Mark Miller, NPS Park Contact, via email at 

memiller@nps.gov. 

Surface water sampling at Kennecott