The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pay
a Bay Area firm $50,000 in federal grant money to track down the
party responsible for the toxic New Idria Mercury Mine site, which
has been polluting a local waterway for nearly three decades.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pay a Bay Area firm $50,000 in federal grant money to track down the party responsible for the toxic New Idria Mercury Mine site, which has been polluting a local waterway for nearly three decades.
Virginia-based TechLaw, Inc., which has an office in San Francisco, will take about five months to find the person or entity responsible for the polluted site. TechLaw has more than 20 years of experience in locating those responsible for environmental violations. Once a responsible party is identified, the information will be given to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. That state agency will pursue any court action to force a clean-up, according to Mandy Rose, director of the county’s Integrated Waste Management Department.
“I’m happy with the progress,” said Supervisor Reb Monaco, whose district includes New Idria. “It’s been a long, drawn-out affair.”
Located south of the Panoche Valley in San Benito County, the New Idria Mine was one of North America’s largest mercury producers during 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. The mine was abandoned about 30 years ago.
During the intervening years, acidic water flowing out of the mountainside has polluted nearby San Carlos Creek. The pollution has turned the water bright orange and made about five miles of the creek uninhabitable for aquatic wild life.
The $50,000 contract will be paid for by a portion of a $200,000 federal grant given to the county last October to assess the extent of the pollution at the mine site. An environmental consultant has estimated that cleaning up the site will cost between $1.5 and $2.5 million, however San Benito County has no liability for the mine, according to Rose.
Last year, the San Benito County District Attorney’s office started the process of finding who is responsible for the toxic site. District Attorney John Sarsfield, who called the mine sight “something from a bad horror movie,” has said his intention is to bring a civil or criminal lawsuit against whoever is responsible for the mess. Sarsfield did not return phone calls Tuesday.
One contributor to the pollution at New Idria has already been found and held accountable. However, there are other responsible parties to be located.
In 2002, Sylvester Herring, who owned property in New Idria, pleaded no contest to five counts of criminal pollution and was ordered to pay $200,000 in fines. The money was put in a district attorney trust account and will be transferred to the agency that oversees an eventual clean-up of the site.
During court proceedings, it came to light that Herring stored hundreds of 55-gallon drums filled with hazardous liquids and possibly thousands of tons of solid waste on property he owned in New Idria.
Luke Roney covers local politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com
