Accord Reached on Toxic Cleanup
The cleanup at a defunct Northern California copper mine that is ranked among the nation’s most toxic Superfund sites will continue as long as needed at no further cost to taxpayers, under a settlement announced Thursday.
The agreement with Aventis CropSciences USA could generate more than $800 million for the Iron Mountain Mine cleanup near Redding, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said.
In addition, Aventis agreed to drop efforts to recover $150 million it has spent on the cleanup since 1989, said Tom Bloomfield, an EPA attorney.
When the past costs are added, the settlement approaches $1 billion, making it the largest settlement ever in the EPA region that includes Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada, Bloomfield said.
Iron Mountain was an active copper mine for more than 100 years and contains miles of tunnels. Those tunnels expose iron sulfate that reacts with oxygen in the air and water to form sulfuric acid, scientists say.
The green water that flows out of the mine has a pH level of 0.5--the most acidic water on the planet.
The funding will ensure that 95% of the water coming from the defunct copper mine will be treated before it reaches the Sacramento River system, they said.
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