Superfund Sites in Reuse in Arizona
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APACHE POWDER CO.
The Apache Powder Co. Superfund site is in Cochise County, Arizona. It covers about 9 square miles, including 1,200 acres of land owned by Apache Nitrogen Products, formerly the Apache Powder Company. ANPI began making industrial chemicals and explosives on-site in 1922. ANPI previously disposed of solid and liquid wastes on its property. In the late 1980s, sampling found metals and explosive wastes in some on-site soils and unlined evaporation ponds. Nitrate and perchlorate were also found in groundwater on-site and off-site. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1990. Cleanup includes groundwater extraction, treatment using a constructed wetlands system, and monitoring. It also includes off-site disposal and on-site capping of contaminated soils and the supply of bottled water to affected homes. In 2009, EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program supported a reuse assessment for the site to determine whether solar energy generation would be a suitable future use, given remedy and other site constraints. In 2010, ANPI put in solar awnings and a canopy to provide electricity for its administration building. At times, the system generates more electricity than the building needs; excess energy goes to the grid. ANPI also used solar energy to power ongoing groundwater cleanup and monitoring efforts; the system was dismantled once the ponds functioned well. ANPI continues to make chemicals on-site. Commercial businesses, including a freight trucking business, are also on-site. The constructed wetlands along the San Pedro River provide habitat for area wildlife.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 75 people and generated an estimated $48,120,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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ASARCO HAYDEN PLANT
The ASARCO Hayden Plant site is located 100 miles southeast of Phoenix and 50 miles northeast of Tucson. The site consists of the towns of Hayden and Winkelman and nearby industrial areas, including the ASARCO smelter, concentrator, former Kennecott smelter and all associated tailings facilities in the area surrounding the confluence of the Gila and San Pedro Rivers. Almost 100 years of smelting activities deposited heavy metals across residential and industrial areas in both towns. A 2002 Arizona Department of Health Services health assessment found the contamination. The site is not listed on the National Priorities List (NPL). However, it is considered to be similar and is being addressed through the Superfund Alternative Approach (SAA). The SAA uses the same investigation and cleanup process and standards that are used for sites listed on the NPL. The SAA is an alternative to listing a site on the NPL; it is not an alternative to Superfund or the Superfund process. From 2008 to 2014, cleanup efforts removed and replaced soil at over 250 properties in Hayden and Winkelman. The ASARCO Hayden Plant is still an active site. Surrounding uses include recreation areas, neighborhoods and schools. In January 2022, nine residents near the ASARCO Hayden site graduated from EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI) program. Graduates now have the necessary skills to be considered for future jobs with employers cleaning up Superfund sites (such as the ASARCO site) and doing other environmental cleanup work. EPA worked with local stakeholders to provide training specific to the hiring opportunities in the area.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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INDIAN BEND WASH AREA
The Indian Bend Wash Area Superfund site covers about 13 square miles in Scottsdale and Tempe, Arizona. There are many industrial facilities on and near the site. Until the 1970s, industrial solvents were typically disposed of directly on the ground or in dry wells. These disposal practices and other releases resulted in soil and groundwater contamination. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1982. In 1987, EPA divided the site into two areas, the North Indian Bend Wash and the South Indian Bend Wash, because the groundwater contamination plumes came from different industrial sources. Both areas are also in separate basins divided by the Salt River. Cleanup in the NIBW area addressed soil contamination with soil vapor extraction. Five groundwater treatment systems run as part of ongoing cleanup efforts. At the SIBW area, cleanup addressed soil contamination with soil vapor extraction. Monitored natural breakdown and in-place chemical oxidation treated groundwater contamination at the site’s three groundwater plumes. More recently, per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in Tempe groundwater, including the SIBW monitoring wells. In 2016, the city of Tempe stopped pumping at three municipal supply wells due to PFAS. EPA is starting a new investigation to determine the extent and sources of PFAS contamination and evaluate alternatives to clean up the site. EPA has reviewed all former contaminant source areas for potential vapor intrusion risk. Vapor intrusion exposure was not a known concern during cleanup selection in the early 1990s. Only NIBW Area 7 in downtown Scottsdale was found to need further action to address vapor intrusion. As of 2023, sub-slab depressurization systems have been installed at nearby buildings with vapor intrusion concerns. A new investigation for the remaining vapor intrusion contaminant source at NIBW Area 7 is planned to begin in 2025. Groundwater treatment and monitoring are ongoing. In 2019, the Arizona Public Service commissioned the Ocotillo Power Station. This facility utilizes five 100+ megawatt generators to produce electricity for the surrounding area. Continued uses at the site include residential, commercial, recreational, industrial, ecological, military and public service areas. These uses include coffee shops, restaurants, a police department and hospitals.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA had data on 58 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 1,268 people and generated an estimated $287,328,583 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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MOTOROLA, INC. (52ND STREET PLANT)
The Motorola, Inc. (52nd Street Plant) Superfund site is in east-central Phoenix, Arizona. It consists of contaminated groundwater below a 7-mile stretch of a highly urbanized region. It includes the former Motorola 52nd Street Plant, which made semiconductors, as well as the downstream Honeywell International aerospace manufacturing facility. In 1982, Motorola found an underground storage tank leaking at its plant. Further studies identified soil and groundwater contamination. In 1986, Motorola (now known as NXP) voluntarily began running a groundwater treatment system. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1989 and expanded NXP’s groundwater remedy in 1991. Cleanup included soil and groundwater treatment. With EPA’s oversight, NXP and Honeywell International put in a second downstream groundwater treatment system in 2001. Since 2010, EPA, NXP and Honeywell have studied and mitigated potential vapor intrusion concerns throughout the plume area. EPA, the state and the site’s potentially responsible parties are evaluating other potential sources of contamination. Cleanup is ongoing. Commercial and industrial operations above the groundwater plume include manufacturing facilities, wholesalers, offices and service businesses. Honeywell remains active on part of the site. Continued land uses on non-source areas of the site include residential, commercial and industrial areas. Semiconductor manufacturing has ceased at the former Motorola 52nd Street Plant, and the property is in the process of being redeveloped by multiple parties for commercial and light industrial land uses.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA had data on 27 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 797 people and generated an estimated $292,649,584 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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PHOENIX-GOODYEAR AIRPORT AREA
The Phoenix-Goodyear Airport Area Superfund site is in Goodyear, Arizona, about 17 miles west of downtown Phoenix. The site includes two areas – Phoenix-Goodyear Airport-North and PGA-South. PGA-North is the location of the former Unidynamics facility. This part of the site includes three parcels once owned by the Crane Company. The city of Goodyear zoned the parcels for commercial and industrial use. Development of the parcels is complete. PGA-South, the site of the former Litchfield Naval Air Facility, includes Phoenix-Goodyear Airport and adjacent commercial and industrial properties. The City of Phoenix owns the airport property. JRC Goodyear owns adjacent commercial and industrial property. In 1981, the state identified contaminated groundwater and soil near the airport. Contamination came from the maintenance and operation of military aircraft at the naval air facility and the manufacturing of military explosives at the Unidynamics facility. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1983. Previous cleanup actions included treating groundwater, extracting soil vapor, and removing and capping contaminated soil. Groundwater treatment is ongoing. The airport and associated businesses remain active on-site. Other airport tenants include airline flight schools and an aircraft maintenance company. A number of businesses operate on the commercial and industrial properties next to the airport.
Last updated October 2025
As of December 2024, EPA had data on 24 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 407 people and generated an estimated $41,055,710 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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