chemetco

3754 CHEMETCO LANE

Chemetco Inc. was a former secondary copper smelter operation which operated from 1969 to 2001. The former smelter property occupied more than 230 acres of land, but operated on 41 acres at the smelter site. Chemetco’s major function was recycling or secondary processing of copper-bearing scrap and manufacturing residues. The facility produced primarily copper cathodes and anodes. This process produced waste byproducts such as slag, zinc oxide (scrubber sludge), and spent refractory brick. On October 31, 2001, the facility shut down and then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on November 13, 2001. On December 7, 2001, the Illinois EPA issued an order to seal Chemetco. The site was finalized on the National Priorities List on March 4, 2010. Chemetco is located approximately two miles south of the Village of Hartford, in Madison County, Illinois and approximately one mile east of the Mississippi River.