Frank,
Here is the proposed EPA cleanup and some of the history of this area. Stauffer Chemical was taken over by International Chemical--who is now responsible for the cost of cleanup. Mining of the polluting metals is apparently now EPA's solution. I would imagine ICI would back BCMD financially to get this albatross off of their back. BCMD would assume no liability as to success or failure of the remediation efforts as far as the EPA is concerned. This is a LONG post--near the end I have highlighted the mining solution.
Site Name: IRON MOUNTAIN MINE
EPA ID: CAD980498612 EPA Region: 09 Metro Statistical Area: 6690
Street: OFF HWY 299 9 MI NW OF
City: REDDING State: CA Zip: 96001
Congressional District: 02
County Code: 089 County Name: SHASTA
National Priority List (NPL) Status: F
Proposed NPL Update Number: Final NPL Update Number:
Ownership Indicator: PR
Federal Facility Flag: N Federal Facility Docket: F
Latitude: 4040180 Longitude: 12231401
LL Source: E LL Accuracy:
Incident Type: N Incident Category: T
Resource and Recovery Act Facility: FMS SS ID: 0917
Dioxin Tier: USGS Hydro Unit: 18020101
Site Description:
MINING ACTIVITIES FROM LATE 1800'S TO 1963 CREATED PILES OF TAILINGS,UNDERGROUND MINE WORKINGS & OPEN PITS CONTAINING MINE WASTE.ACID LEACHATE CONTAINING HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATESURFACE WATER. POTENTIAL DRINKING WATER IMPACTS (44,000).
Remediation Information (Records of Decision)
Site Name: IRON MOUNTAIN MINE
EPA ID: CAD980498612
Operable Unit: 02
ROD ID: EPA/ROD/R09-92/083 ROD Date: 09/30/92
Contaminant: Metals
O&M Costs: Estimated Costs:
Keys: ARAR Waiver; Background Levels; Capping; Carcinogenic Compounds;
Clean
Water Act; Debris; Direct Contact; Drinking Water Contaminants;
Excavation;
Interim Remedy; Lead; MCLGs; MCLs; Metals; Mining Wastes; Offsite
Treatment;
Onsite Containment; Onsite Disposal; Onsite Discharge; Onsite
Treatment;
Safe Drinking Water Act; Sediment; Soil; State Standards/Regulations;
Surface Water; Surface Water Collection/Diversion; Surface Water
Treatment.
Abstract:
SITE HISTORY/DESCRIPTION: The 4,400-acre Iron Mountain Mine (IMM)
site is a collection of inactive mines and associated property located on
Iron Mountain, Shasta County, California. Land use in the area is
predominantly commercial, with a wetlands located within 9 miles from the
site. The Sacramento River is a major fishery and source of drinking water
for the City of Redding, which is located 9 miles east of the site. IMM
contains several inactive underground and open pit mines, numerous waste
piles, abandoned mining facilities, and mine drainage treatment facilities.
From 1879 to present, several owners, including RhonePoulenc Basic
Chemicals, mined copper and other metals, such as gold, silver, pyrite, and
zinc. In 1894, Mountain Mining Company acquired and began operating the
mine. Mining waste generated was dumped into ravines and washed into several
creeks, including Boulder and Sacramento. In 1896, Mountain Copper
Companyassumed ownership, and mining activities continued intermittently
from the 1880's until 1962. In 1968, Stauffer Chemical Company acquired
Mountain Copper and operated a copper cementation plant. In 1976, the state
issued Stauffer Chemical an order requiring an abatement of the continuing
pollution from IMM. Throughout the years, mining activities at IMM resulted
in deposits of waste rock and pyrite tailings on the exposed ground surface,
in addition to rain and surface flows, which formed acid mine drainage and
transported contaminants to surface water and sediments. In 1983, EPA
identified IMM as the largest discharger of toxic metals in the United
States. A 1986 ROD provided limited source control and management actions
to lessen discharge of AMD to surface waters. This ROD addresses control of
the AMD sources in the Boulder Creek drainage basin from the Richmond and
Lawson portals. Two planned RODs will address AMD to Slickrock Creek,
sources for Boulder Creek drainage (excluded from this ROD), contaminated
ground water, and other sources of contamination. The primary contaminants
of concern affecting the sediment, debris, and surface water are metals,
including lead. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OR GOALS: Sediment and surface water
clean-up goals are based on background levels as established by SWDA MCLs or
health based levels, whichever is more stringent. Chemical-specific sediment
and surface water goals include antimony 0.006 mg/l; arsenic 0.050 mg/l;
cadmium 0.01 mg/l; and mercury 0.002 mg/l. INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS: Not
provided.
Remedy:
SELECTED REMEDIAL ACTION: The selected remedial action for this site
includes collecting the acid mine drainage from the Richmond and Lawson
portals and constructing pipelines and necessary structures to transport the
drainage into the treatment facility; treating the acid mine drainage by
chemical neutralization/precipitation using the lime/sulfide High Density
Sludge (HDS) treatment process, and discharging the treated effluent onsite
to surface water; disposing of the residual sludge onsite in the inactive
open pit mine; excavating, consolidating onsite, and capping seven waste
piles that are actively eroding and discharging hazardous substances; and
diverting ground water and surface water away from the landfill. The
estimated present worth cost for this remedial action is $53,958,000, which
includes an annual O&M cost of $27,865,000 for 30 years.
[It is my understanding that ICI is on the hook for these costs,($54Mm initial and $895,950,000 over the next 30 years) and it would seem to me that they would be tickled to underwrite BCMD startup costs to reopen this mine.]
Operable Unit: 09
ROD ID: EPA/ROD/R09-93/101 ROD Date: 09/24/93
Contaminant: Metals, Acids
O&M Costs: Estimated Costs:
Keys: Acids; Arsenic; Carcinogenic Compounds; Clean Water Act; Direct
Contact; Drinking Water Contaminants; Interim Remedy; MCLGs; MCLs;
Metals;
Mining Wastes; O&M; Onsite Disposal; Onsite Treatment; Safe Drinking
Water
Act; State Standards/Regulations; Surface Water; Surface Water
Collection/Diversion; Surface Water Monitoring; Surface Water
Treatment;
Treatability Studies
Abstract:
SITE HISTORY/DESCRIPTION:
The 4,400-acre Iron Mountain Mine site is a commercial mining facility
located 9 miles northwest of Redding, Shasta County, California. Land use
in the area is predominantly recreational, with largely undeveloped
wilderness property. The site is bordered by two heavily used national
forests, and is located near the Sacramento River. The estimated 70,000
people who reside in Redding use the river as a major source of drinking
water. The Iron Mountain Mine site includes mining property on the
topographic feature known as Iron Mountain, the several inactive underground
and open pit mines, numerous waste piles, abandoned mining facilities, mine
drainage treatment facilities, and the downstream reaches of all creeks and
rivers affected by drainage from Iron Mountain Mine. In 1894, The Mountain
Mining Co., Ltd. began operation of the mine. Later, Mountain Copper Co.
assumed ownership of the site. Under this company's operation, high-grade
copper ore was mined until 1907 in the Old Mine, and from 1907, until as
late as 1923, in Mine No. 8. In 1968, the mine was acquired by Stauffer
Chemical Co., and was operated there until 1976. In 1976, the State
required the abatement of the continuing pollution from the mountain. Iron
Mountain Mines, Inc. (IMMI) acquired a majority of the parcels to the mine
in 1976 and currently operates the facilities. IMMI constructed a copper
cementation plant on a nearby creek to recover copper from the acid mine
drainage (AMD). Due to various fish kills and toxicity problems, a number
of investigations were conducted by the State which revealed high
concentrations of copper, cadmium, and zinc in the acidic discharges flowing
from the Old and No. 8 mines into Slickrock Creek, a tributary of Spring
Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the Sacramento River. A 1986 ROD
addressed limited source control and water management actions, which
included constructing a partial cap over a mineralized zone, constructing
diversions of various creeks to avoid an AMD-generating slide and to protect
cleaner waters, and enlarging the Spring Creek Debris Dam. A 1992 ROD
addressed contaminants seeping from the two largest sources of AMD at the
mine and from the numerous waste rock piles, tailing piles, seeps, and
contaminated sediment for the Boulder Creek OU. This ROD addresses an
interim remedy for the Old/No. 8 Mine Seep OU, the third largest area of AMD
contamination at the site. Future RODs will address resource recovery and
additional source control. The primary contaminants of concern affecting
the surface water are metals, including arsenic, copper, cadmium, and zinc;
and acids.
SELECTED REMEDIAL ACTION:
The selected remedial action for this site includes treating acid- and heavy
metal-contaminated surface water onsite using chemical
neutralization/precipitation with HDS process option; constructing
collection structures, pipelines, and equalization equipment to provide for
delivery and onsite treatment of all base, sustained, and peak AMD flows
from the Old/No. 8 Mine Seep to an elevated tank at the Minnesota Flats
treatment facility, located 24,000 feet from the discharge area; and
disposing of residuals onsite in an inactive open pit mine. The estimated
present worth cost for this remedial action is $8,270,000, which includes an
estimated total O&M cost of $3,920,000.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OR GOALS:
Not provided.
INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS:
Not applicable.
RECORD OF DECISION
IRON MOUNTAIN MINE
SHASTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
THE DECLARATION
I. SITE NAME AND LOCATION
Iron Mountain Mine
Shasta County, California (near Redding, California)
II. STATEMENT OF BASIS AND PURPOSE
This decision document presents the selected interim remedial action for
control of heavy-metal-bearing acidic discharges, termed acid mine drainage,
or AMD, from the Old and No. 8 Mines into Slickrock Creek. These discharges
are the third largest source of AMD at the Iron Mountain Mine Superfund
Site. Slickrock Creek is a tributary of Spring Creek, which in turn is a
tributary of the Sacramento River. Slickrock Creek is on the south side of
the Iron Mountain Mine (IMM) site. The IMM site is located about 9 miles
northwest of Redding, California.
The selected interim remedial action is to collect and treat the AMD from
Old/No. 8 Mine Seep. The selected interim remedial action was chosen in
accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act (SARA), and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances
Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This decision is based upon the
administrative record for this site.
The Natural Resource Trustees Council, which includes both State and Federal
resource trustees for the Site, concurs with the selection of treatment and
the High Density Sludge (HDS) process option as the interim remedial action
for the Old/No. 8 Mine Seep acid mine drainage discharges.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and Regional
Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) concur with the selection of lime
treatment and use of a process option that will produce a dense sludge as
the interim remedial action for the Old/No. 8 Mine Seep acid mine drainage
discharges. However, DTSC and RWQCB have encouraged EPA to fully evaluate
the Aerated Simple Mix (ASM) process proposed by Stauffer Management Company
(SMC) as an alternative to the HDS process. EPA has reviewed recently
available treatability study data that indicate that the ASM process will
not produce the required dense sludges that DTSC and RWQCB agree are
necessary. EPA will review this information with the DTSC and RWQCB and
will continue to assess any subsequently developed information.
SI wouldn't let me post this complete--continued next post.
Regards,
Gary |
