OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gath ered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regar ding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737. ***Proposed Site*** March 2011


### BLUE LEDGE MINE Rogue River

– Siskiyou National Forest
, C alifornia Siskiyou County

 **Site Location :** 
The s ite is an abandoned copper, zinc, gold and silver mine located in Siskiyou County on private land within the Rogue

River

- Siskiyou National Forest, approximately 3 miles south of the Oregon

- California border.

 **Site History:**

The s ite operated as a mine from approximately 1904 to 1930. More than 2 miles of underground excavations were develope d about 800 vertical feet above Joe Creek. Acid mine drainage (AMD) discharging from adits flows directly through 60,000 tons of waste rock. The waste rock is in direct contact with Joe Creek.

 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:**

Hazardous substances fr om the mine wastes at the s ite are transported via Joe Creek to Elliott Creek and possibly further downstream to the Applegate River and ultimately Applegate Reservoir. Copper levels in Joe Creek downstream from the

s ite are a bove background and exceed th e c rite rion continuous c oncentration (CCC) for copper in surface water according to EPA’s National Recommended Water Quality Criteria. The CCC is national guidance and is an estimate of the highest concentration of copper in surface water to which an aqua tic community can be exposed indefinitely without resulting in an unacceptable effect.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  Fish and amphibian surveys conducted in the area by the U.S. Forest Service ( USFS ) document that the water q uality of Joe Creek is severely impacted below the s ite. Fish survey data confirmed there are no fish in Joe Creek. Elliott Creek, the Applegate River

, and the Applegate Reservoir are considered recreational fisheries. Sensitive, threatened and endanger ed species have been identified in the vicinity of the s ite including the northern goshawk, the Siskiyou Mountains salamander, and the northern spotted owl.

 **Response Activities (to date):**
In May 2006, EPA conducted an initial removal action. Removal efforts included stabilizing waste rock to prevent further erosion into water courses; providing soil cover to reduce the likelihood of direct human contact with contaminants from the waste rock; and creating a system of barriers and drainage systems to r educe the localized AMD and heavy metal impacts on Joe Creek. In 2010, the USFS received $9.738 million in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds plus an additional $1.325 million from the ASARCO Envir onmental Trust for work on the s ite that began during the

summer of 2010. USFS work includes removal of two of th e four waste rock piles at the s ite to a constructed repository, and reclamation through erosion control measures, topsoil replacement, and restoration of native vegetation.

 **Need for NPL Listing:** 
Despite the previous actions undertaken by both EPA and the USFS , there remain areas of contamination that still need to be addressed to ensure there are no further negative environmental or possible human health risks associated with the s ite.

USFS work will not address contaminated sediment in the surface water down gradient from the site, discharge from mine adits, nor long

- term operation and maintenance. Other federal and state cleanup programs are not viable at this time.