After years of prodding from local officials, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency has added New Idria’s abandoned
mercury mine to the Superfund list of the most toxic waste sites in
the nation
– a move that will open the door for federal involvement and
funding in the massive cleanup effort.
After years of prodding from local officials, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added New Idria’s abandoned mercury mine to the Superfund list of the most toxic waste sites in the nation – a move that will open the door for federal involvement and funding in the massive cleanup effort.
The EPA announced Thursday it is adding 15 sites, including New Idria, to the list of more than 1,300 in the U.S. The EPA also announced it is proposing another 11 sites should be added to the “National Priorities List” of Superfund sites.
Placement on the list will allow the EPA to use federal money to clean up the San Benito County site that has poured contaminants into nearby waterways for nearly 40 years. The EPA has cited the threat to nearby wildlife as its primary concern at the abandoned mine, about 45 miles southeast of Hollister.
The EPA in the past has urged local officials to clean the waste. One of the biggest roadblocks for leaders here, however, is that they have been unsuccessful in finding the prior owner responsible for the cost. Getting on the Superfund list could help on that end, because the EPA stressed that it works to identify “companies or people responsible for the contamination” at such sites, according to its announcement.
“EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site,” according to the announcement. “Therefore, it may be several years before significant EPA clean up funding is required for these sites.”
There have been 1,652 sites listed on the priority list. The EPA has completed abatement of 350, leaving another 1,302 it continues to address.
The New Idria Mine was one of North America’s largest mercury producers in the 19th and 20th centuries. During World War I, the mine was the top supplier of mercury for the U.S Department of Defense, which used it to make munitions and detonators.
Now, it pours mercury into nearby waterbeds – enough to turn the water orange and contaminate the San Carlos Creek and nearby fisheries, according to a report from the EPA. The mercury runoff carries into the Panoche Creek and possibly beyond, as far as the San Francisco Bay.
Look back for more on this story, including reaction.
