A former zinc-smelting property deemed unsafe and unusable for decades, is being put back into productive use thanks to a coordinated effort between the City of Pittsburg and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Cleanup efforts began this week at the previous Weir City Zinc Works site, located west of North Broadway Street in Pittsburg.
A coal-mining town fewer than 50 miles from the richest zinc mines in the United States, Pittsburg was once an ideal location for zinc smelting industries in the late 1800s. Although little is left of the zinc industry today, high levels of metal contamination left behind rendered these properties unsafe and unusable for many years. KDHE is working with Pittsburg and other communities across the state to restore the environment and promote the redevelopment of these properties.
(Read more: City of Pittsburg)