EPA Urges Superfund Listing for Sulfur Mine

An abandoned sulfur mine that for decades has spewed a toxic soup of acid and heavy metals in the scenic Sierra Nevada was proposed for Superfund status Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Superfund listing is reserved for the worst of the worst of the nation’s polluted areas. Leviathan Mine in remote Alpine County, Calif., near the Nevada line, will join about 1,400 sites on the list if the designation is approved.

“I believe it is the only realistic solution to a problem that could result in an environmental disaster if not effectively cleaned up,” said Sen. Richard Bryan (D-Nev.).

“My concern is that the watershed in Nevada is an absolutely vital resource to protect,” he said. “It has festered for many, many years.”

Officials in Nevada’s adjacent Douglas County on Tuesday joined the Washoe Indian Tribe in supporting the listing after being assured by the EPA that the designation would encompass only the mine site itself and not extend into Nevada or include the Carson River, Douglas County’s main water supply.

In years past, holding ponds designed to contain millions of gallons of polluted runoff have overflowed with the spring snow melt, sending the noxious brew into Leviathan and Bryant creeks. The tainted streams meander through Indian trust land before feeding into the Carson River.

The creeks are devoid of fish, but the EPA has said the pollutants are diluted by the time they reach the river and pose no health hazards there.