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Western Regional Report
Western Briefs
U.S. EPA Takes Lead in Nevada Mine Cleanup
Washington State to Change Contaminated Soil Regulations
U.S. EPA Takes Lead in Nevada Mine Cleanup
The U.S. EPA recently agreed to assume primary responsibility for the cleanup
of the abandoned Yerington copper mine in Nevada.
The Nevada Division of Environ-mental Protection (NDEP) asked the EPA to take
on the responsibility as lead agency to ensure the adequate cleanup of the mine.
For the past two years, the NDEP, the EPA and BLM have shared the responsibility
of regulating the cleanup of the site, which covers almost six square miles,
half of which lies on federal lands.
The NDEP’s request stemmed from recent information showing that the site
is significantly more complex than previous data indicated. Samples analyzed
last summer indicated levels of radiation in soil samples as high as 30 times
above the EPA’s standard. Earlier this year, groundwater testing of drinking-
water wells revealed uranium concentrations ranging from four times above the
EPA’s standard in some wells to as much as 200 times above the standard.
The EPA will be the lead agency responsible for the site cleanup, in accordance
with the Superfund law. Under the Superfund law, EPA generally requires the
parties responsible for the pollution to implement the cleanup. The EPA anticipates
working with the Atlantic Richfield Company, a prior owner of the site, to implement
the cleanup.
The Yerington mine site, which is located about 55 miles southeast of Reno,
produced copper for the Anaconda Company for about 30 years until 1978. The
new owner, the Arimetco Company, abandoned the site in 2000 after going bankrupt.
Since 2000, the NDEP, EPA and BLM have been addressing pollution at the site.
The soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with several different
metals — including copper, lead, arsenic and mercury — and radioactive
materials, including uranium and thorium.
Washington State to Change Contaminated Soil Regulations
The Washington Department of Ecology has invited public comment through February
15 on the first of a two-phase process to develop new regulations to differentiate
between clean soils, contaminated soils and dredged materials.
The purpose is to define when soils and dredged materials that contain contaminants
are subject to solid-waste permits.
The Ecology Department adopted new definitions in 2003 that have proved to be
confusing to many people. So as a first step, the department is repealing the
new regulations and reverting to the previous language.
“We are temporarily reverting to the prior definitions of clean and contaminated
soils so we can take more time to work with affected industries and organizations
to forge a better rule,” said Cullen Stephenson, who manages Ecology’s
solid-waste program.
Ecology expects to file another rule proposal in the spring, after working with
interested parties to further clarify the definitions. The final soil standards
will help ensure greater consistency by the regulatory agencies and a higher
level of certainty for soil and dredged-material handlers.
Click here for Ecology’s Web site.