The North Ridge Estates Superfund Site is a residential subdivision located three miles north of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
The site is contaminated with asbestos as a result of the improper demolition of approximately eighty 1940s-era military barracks buildings. North Ridge Estates was added to the National Priorities List in 2011 after annual efforts to remove contamination were not effective for long-term protection of human health.
Asbestos-containing materials and soil were removed from the old military barracks site during three seasons of cleanup from 2016-2018. Beginning in 2016, EPA and Oregon DEQ excavated and removed about 360,000 cubic yards of asbestos-containing materials and contaminated soils across the 144-acre site. The cleanup has returned the site to productive use as a residential neighborhood, protecting current and future residents and the Klamath Falls community from harmful asbestos contamination.
Long-term management of the site will be transferred to Oregon DEQ and will include land use restrictions to prevent disturbance of the cover and prevent potential exposure to any remaining asbestos.
Additional contamination at the nearby Kingsley Firing Range, also part of the site, will be investigated and completed at a later time by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA.
Today, the former site is still mostly undeveloped and probably won't be for many years to come due to continuing worries from property owners of potentially existing Asbestos underground.