The site, a former lumber mill, is approximately seven acres and located in the town of Sawmill, Route 72, Sawmill Chapter. The site is owned by the Navajo Nation and is zoned as Tribal Lands. The sawmill was constructed in 1939 and decommissioned in 1963. The site is generally vacant and vegetated with grasses and mature trees, however it's surrounded by nearby residences, a school, and businesses. The site shows frequent signs of trespassing. The primary concern with the site is the dilapidated, partially collapsed concrete kiln building, which was used to dry the processed lumber at the facility. The U.S. EPA found significant amounts of material with asbestos in the building and outside of it on soil. The Site will be secured by fencing, while the U.S. EPA safely conducts demolition and removal of the former kiln building, as well as removal of visual asbestos in the surrounding soil. The asbestos containing material will be hauled offsite to an approved disposal facility in haul trucks. The material will be sprayed with water throughout the demo and loading process, and secured in burrito wrapped plastic and covered with tarps prior to hauling to avoid any offsite release. Daily air monitoring for particulates and air sampling will be conducted and results will be posted on this website, including weekly site updates.
Daily Monitoring Results
Air Monitoring Locations
**SAZ-AS-004, SAZ-AS-005, and SAZ-AS-007 have been inactive since 9/24/24.
EPA NAUM Facebook Page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/epanaum
