Tulsa Fuel and Manufacturing Superfund Site

• Location: Collinsville, Tulsa County, Oklahoma
• Township and Range: NE 1/4, SE 1/4, NE 1/4, Section 31, and SW 1/4, NW 1/4, Section 32, Township 22N, Range 14E
• Site Type: Smelter
• Area: 0.1 square miles/60 acres
• National Priorities List: Final Listing Date - January 1999
• Record of Decision: November 2008
• Current Status: Cleanup complete

• Cleanup Oversight Agencies: EPA and DEQ
• Lead Agency: DEQ
• Office: DEQ, Land Protection Division, (405) 702-5100
• DEQ Site Project Manager: Michael Lea, (405) 702-5195
• DEQ Press Contact: Skylar McElhaney, (405) 702-7167

The Tulsa Fuel and Manufacturing (TFM) site is an abandoned 60-acre former zinc smelter, located in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.  The former zinc smelter was active from 1914 through 1925 and helped to meet the demands for zinc during World War I.  The Tulsa Fuel and Manufacturing site is located outside the city limits of Collinsville on the west side of "old" Highway 169, approximately 1.3 miles south of downtown.  The smelting operation used nine furnaces, which were believed to be fueled by nearby natural gas wells. Other primary structures of the smelter included a mechanical kiln, a condenser, and a laboratory.  A two million gallon capacity reservoir was also used with the condenser room during smelting operations.  While active, large amounts of ore were stored on site.

In 2007 an investigation and evaluation of the Tulsa Fuel and Manufacturing Site was conducted.  Remedies for the site were established using the results from the investigation and evaluation.  The remedies address current and future residential risks associated with exposure to waste materials.  They have also been determined to be cost-effective, permanent and protective of human health and the environment.  Cleanup began June 2015 and was completed Fall 2016.  Approximately, 186,000 cubic yards of waste materials was consolidated and capped (i.e., smelter wastes, building debris, ash, bricks, contaminated soil, and contaminated sediment).  In 2020, the site was removed from the National Priorities List (NPL) of sites with known releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants.  DEQ will continue routine vegetation maintenance and groundwater sampling at the site.

The horizontal retort smelter required a lot of energy and ran primarily on natural gas.  In fact, most smelters in Oklahoma were situated close to natural gas reserves for this reason.

Deed notices include restriction on capped areas.

• Sources of Contamination: Nine furnaces, broken retorts, condensers, slag, building debris, ash, bricks, and other smelter waste
• Contamination of Concern: Arsenic, cadmium, and lead
• Media Affected: 186,000 cubic yards of waste material