Construction crews began excavating contaminated soil in Richardson Flat Aug. 4 under a federal and state agreement.
Larry H. Miller Real Estate owns nearly 1,000 acres in Richardson Flat, east of Highway 40. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) told KPCW the company is moving the soil to make room for commercial development, recreational use or open space.
The area is part of the Richardson Flat tailings site, storing toxic soils with heavy metals like lead and arsenic from Park City’s mining days.
The DEQ said Larry H. Miller is moving about 10,700 cubic yards of historic mine waste to a tailings repository on the site. The repository was built to hold minding waste.
The work is being done with permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the DEQ. The three-party agreement was signed March 9.
The EPA told KPCW the work plan includes provisions to ensure dust does not migrate off-site, including using stockpile covers.
The excavation will end in August followed by work to grade the site through mid-September. Grading ensures proper water drainage, slope stability and erosion control.
Larry H. Miller representatives did not respond to multiple requests from KPCW to comment on the activity.
It’s unclear if the excavation is related to a development agreement on a neighboring parcel annexed to Hideout.
That land is also owned by Larry H. Miller. The company planned to start construction on the Silver Meadows project this year, which could have up to 600 housing units. The Hideout Town Council approved the agreement in October of 2020.
Larry H. Miller also previously offered to build affordable housing on Park City’s side of Richardson Flat.
