San Benito County is getting a $200,000 grant from the federal
Environmental Protection Agency to develop a cleanup plan for the
polluted New Idria mine.
San Benito County is getting a $200,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to develop a cleanup plan for the polluted New Idria mine.
U.S. Congressman Sam Farr’s office announced the grant award Wednesday. The local congressman has worked with county officials and federal agencies on the issue. The county applied for the grant in December.
With severe budget constraints, local leaders have said the county must get help from outside agencies to propel a cleanup. County leaders also were hopeful of state help before receiving a notice in March saying California’s cleanup and abatement fund was depleted for now.
County Supervisor Reb Monaco, who represents the New Idria area, first heard about the grant Tuesday, he said. He called it good news, but only a first step.
“I think from the very beginning the idea has been that there would be some kind of outside help,” Monaco said.
The New Idria mine is located south of the Panoche Valley in San Benito County in the town with a fleeting population of fewer than 10. It was the largest producer of mercury in the nation during parts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The last mining operation left 30 years ago. And since, highly acidic water has flowed out of the mountainside at a rate of 10 to 55 gallons per minute – turning the nearby creek orange. About five miles of the waterway has been destroyed.
Overall, a county-hired environmental consultant estimated the cleanup could cost $1.5 million to $2.5 million. And more money will be needed after for a monitoring program, too.
Farr visited the ghost town last year in August. He vowed to pursue federal funding for a cleanup and brought in federal agencies to discuss the topic with county leaders.
“Creating a good cleanup plan and gaining a better understanding of the extent of the damage from the mercury mines will allow us to enter into the actual cleanup process fully aware of the contingencies,” Farr said in a press statement.
