Poop Man Bob Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 I recently took a trip to El Paso, Texas. The large smokestack you see on the right is owned by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company). In some shape or form, the smelter has been there since 1882. When it was originally built, it was on the outskirts of town but now sits smackdab in the middle of an international metroplex of over 2 million people. A lead smelter for over 100 years, the facility now produces copper. Or it did - the smelter has been shutdown since 1999, when copper prices were at historic lows. Now, however, prices are at historic highs, so since 2002 the company has been attempting to get their air permit back from the state's environmental agency. Local opposition has been vocal and steady, but the final decision lays in hands of the three commissioners of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - all of whom were appointed by our pro-business, Republican governor, Rick Perry. The air permit would allow ASARCO to emit over 7,000 tons of pollutants into the region's airshed annually. Since the smelter has been operating for over a century, it has left behind quite a footprint of pollution. Hell, look at the Google Maps image of the area - it's not hard to figure out where the facility is. What you see in the photo above is the buildup of years and years of slag - a byproduct of the smelting process. The heavy metal-laden slag sits there and filters rainwater, which flows directly into the canal that provides much of the region's water supply. The 828-foot main smokestack. A giant, candy cane-striped phallic symbol which when constructed in 1966 was the largest in the world. About 500 feet from the smelter is the remnants of Smeltertown. Smeltertown was created in the 19th century as a company town for the hundreds to thousands of employees who worked a stone's throw away. For decades, Smeltertown residents accepted ASARCO's pollution as a fact of life. However, in the late 1960s, El Paso leaders grew concerned over potential lead poisoning in the area surrounding the smelter, including Smeltertown. The city and state sued the company, settled out of court, and Smeltertown was vacated and razed. To view a larger (and easier to read) version, click here. New Mexico on the left; Texas on the right. The mountains in the distance are part of Mexico. Border Patrol maintains a heavy presence in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poop Man Bob Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 The Smeltertown cemetery is just that - the cemetery that served the town’s residents. Although it's on company property now, it's pretty easy to access. A lot of the graves are simply cobblestones piled on top of one another with a handmade headstone. Some are nicer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poop Man Bob Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 The University of Texas-El Paso, the region’s major university, is just over that hill. More of the endless amounts of slag. To top off all of the other concerns about ASARCO, the company declared bankruptcy in 2005. The company has left taxpayers from 75 communities in 16 states - from Tacoma, Washington to Corpus Christi, Texas - with almost $11 billion in environmental remediation and clean-up costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milk Grenades Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 interesting photos..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOU Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Cool pics PMB. My pops is from El Paso originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R@ndomH3ro Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 El Paso is always a weird ass place. Most of the people are also weirdos I meet so many people there that claimed they where abducted by aliens or claimed to be alien /human hybrids weirdos....lots of UFOs around there too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatso Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 fucking rad man I always bitch about how getting drunk in el paso isn't worth the drive out there cuz there's no cool shit to explore how wrong i am texas bitches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatso Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 wait never mind fuck el paso and their fucking police. cool pictures though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NerdUnit Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Interesting posts. I like the NM/TX photo with the train tressles. Very cool. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellow Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 dam that place is a mess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amongst Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 nice flicks man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earmuffs Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 great photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shai_hulud Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Looks sad and desolate and beautiful all at once. Nice photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalcocaine Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 all i could think about while i looked at this thread was this movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydoses Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 very nice photos was there a specific reason that you went there? sorry if it was mentioned and i missed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poop Man Bob Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 very nice photos was there a specific reason that you went there? sorry if it was mentioned and i missed it. Work related, but I was able to get out and wander some, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydoses Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 word Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circle Jerk Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 looks desert ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceLeroy Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 the dirty dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Quickwood Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 good shit, i stopped in el paso a couple hours in the middle of the night riding the bus once, it was trippy, like being in a comic book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
so wtf y'all movin on up Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 down in the west texas town of el paso...i fell in love with a mexican girl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Chaos Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 down in the west texas town of el paso...i fell in love with a mexican girl damn i was just singing that song in my head once i read the title lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Posted January 1, 2008 Share Posted January 1, 2008 That was boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Quickwood Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 go drink some tea or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awkward eye Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 That was boring.I thought it was pretty interesting, I'm always down for some abandoned shit. If you're like me, you should check this link... http://community.livejournal.com/abandonedplaces/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MekA_OnES? Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 That was boring. Im gonna have to co sign..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shitting Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Very cool place that iron bar cross is crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGG Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 nice report! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skullnbones Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 It's rad to see some of those busted arse graves have fresh flowers on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Mamerro Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Fucking awesome, that place looks surreal. I bet it's also creepily quiet. There's a (seemingly) abandoned oil refinery in the south of PR that looks batshit crazy, I've always wanted to hop the fence and check it out. In any case, I think you need a picture of some tumbleweed. When I was really little I absolutely loved when tumbleweed appeared in movies (I thought it was some kind of animal), and it still brings a smile to my face when I see one. Tumbleweed is awesome. Oh, and ASARCO sounds like a total sweetheart of a company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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