Future plans for ASARCO following demolition

After Saturday's highly anticipated demolition of the ASARCO smokestacks, many wonder what will happen next for the former smelter area.

ASARCO site trustee Roberto Puga said remediation of the area will continue for most of the next three years. That will include burying the debris and other toxic elements from the old smelter, restoring green spacing in the area, including arroyos, and preparing the land for sale.

"We are scheduled for completion of the remediation in 2015, which means that we would like to put the property on the market, and hopefully sell it in 2016," Puga said.

ASARCO's land straddles both sides of Interstate 10, and in the past, Puga has indicated that the University of Texas at El Paso may want to acquire some of the land north of the interstate that is adjacent to the university.

"We do have some plans. We have been working and talking with the folks, the trustee, about how we can best memorialize what ASARCO meant to El Paso over the years," said Bernie Sargent of the El Paso County Historical Commission.

The old smelter sight played a huge role in El Paso's history in both good and bad ways.

It was one of the city's main economic drivers throughout the 20th century by employing thousands of people and pumped billions of dollars into the local economy.

It also contributed to having the highest levels of lead in all of Texas and contaminated the soil of nearby neighborhoods.

In the event that the demolition would cause damage to nearby properties, the demolition team is prepared.

The Calavera Canyon neighborhood sits closest to the blast site, and each owner was contacted about exactly what to expect.

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Future plans for ASARCO following demolition