U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 August 2008

Douglas County, Oregon

Formosa Mine Superfund Site

This fact sheet provides information about the Formosa Mine Superfund Site, located on

Silver Butte, one of the headwaters of the South Fork of Middle Creek. This site is located

approximately 10 miles south of Riddle, Oregon in Douglas County.

The site was added to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Priorities List

on September 19, 2007, because heavy metals and acid mine drainage at the site pose a

risk to people and the environment.

Site Background

The 76-acre Formosa Mine Superfund Site

was originally mined for copper and zinc

from approximately 1910 to 1937. The

mine was reopened in 1989 by Formosa

Exploration, Inc. and its parent company

Formosa Resources Corporation.

As mining operations ceased in 1993, the

mine was filled with mill tailings, crushed

ore, and limestone. Acidic water, called

acid mine drainage, that flowed from the

mine was was directed towards a nearby

slope of loose rock. An additional 20,000

pounds of low grade ore from the mine was

placed into a lined cell and capped. After

some reclamation work was done, the

mining companies left the area.

Community Involvement Information

You can be involved in cleanup . . . . . . . page 3

Technical assistance grant available . . . . page 3

Public health assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

For more information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 4

Also In this Issue:

What is acid mine drainage and

why is it a problem? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2

Who will pay for the investigation

 and cleanup? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2

Who is working on the cleanup? . . . . . . . page 2

What has been done so far

 to clean up the site? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2

What happens next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

In 1997, the acid mine drainage control

system failed and toxic drainage was

released into the South Fork of Middle

Creek and other points downstream.

Eighteen miles of fish habitat downstream

from the mine was severely degraded, and

the documented fishery that had thrived prior

to this time was destroyed.

In 2000, the Oregon Department of

Environmental Quality began an

investigation of the site and installed a water

diversion system designed to reduce the

amount of contamination flowing into the

stream. In 2005, citizens petitioned the EPA

to consider adding the site to the National

Priorities List (NPL) of the most

contaminated sites in the nation. The site

was proposed for listing in 2006 and was

added to the NPL in 2007.
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Introduction to Superfund

Superfund is the nickname for an environmental

law enacted in 1980 called the Comprehensive

Environmental Response, Compensation, and

Liability Act (CERCLA). Under this law, the most

contaminated sites in the Unites States are

placed on the National Priorities List. These sites

are called Superfund sites.

EPA then follows a careful cleanup planning

process that is outlined by the Superfund law in

order to come up with a sound plan to remedy

problems caused by contamination at the site.

What is acid mine drainage and why is it a

problem?

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the result of

chemical reactions between water, oxygen,

bacteria and sulfide minerals. At Formosa Mine,

there is water and air movement underground that

never existed before mining operations began.

This created ideal conditions for acid mine

drainage to form.

Acid mine drainage typically has a pH of 2.6 to

3.8, which is highly acidic compared to

uncontaminated water which has a pH of about

7.0. AMD also contains very high levels of

dissolved and suspended metals, such as

cadmium, lead, zinc, aluminum, arsenic, copper

and iron. It is toxic to fish and other aquatic life,

and exposure to untreated AMD can be

hazardous to people and wildlife.

The key challenge at the Formosa Mine is to

minimize and control acid mine drainage.

Who will pay for the investigation and

cleanup?

One of the first tasks for EPA at the Formosa

Mine Superfund Site is to identify Potentially

Responsible Parties (PRPs) and hold them

legally and financially responsible for cleaning up

the site under EPA oversight. EPA is actively

pursuing PRPs for the Site, but both Formosa

Exploration, Inc. and Formosa Resources

Company appear to be defunct corporations with

no assets.

While EPA continues the pursuit of PRPs for the

Formosa Mine Site, we will move forward with the

Remedial Investigation (RI) and Feasibility Study

(FS) for the site using money appropriated by

Congress. The RI will determine the amount and

type of contamination, as well as where it is

located at the Formosa Mine site. The FS will

develop and analyze a range of viable cleanup

options for the site.

Who is working on the cleanup?

Over the next several years, EPA will be

collaborating with several other federal, state,

local and tribal governments to investigate

contamination at the site and develop a final

cleanup plan. Cooperating agencies include the

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

(DEQ), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM),

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the

Department of the Interior (DOI), the Oregon

Department of Human Services Environmental

Health Assessment Program (EHAP) and the

Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.

DEQ and BLM have been involved at the site for

several years, and their preliminary work

provides a starting point for EPA. Officials from

Douglas County and the City of Riddle have also

provided local information to support the cleanup

effort.

What has been done so far to clean up

the site?

In October 2000, DEQ installed a water

diversion system to keep acid mine drainage out

of the stream. This system has been

periodically monitored and maintained by DEQ

and the BLM. In June 2008, EPA cleaned and

repaired the diversion system to keep the toxic

drainage out of the environment until a final

remedy is chosen for the site.

Local, state and federal officials view acid mine

drainage at the Formosa Mine Site

Formosa Mine Superfund Site August 2008
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What happens next?

In the next 3-5 years, EPA will complete the Remedial Investigation (RI) and Feasibility Study (FS).

EPA will prepare a Project Work Plan that outlines the specific steps for completing the RI/FS. After

the work plan has been prepared, we will be able to provide more detail about the type of sampling that

might be taking place and the time frames for the various activities that are part of the RI/FS process.

One of the first steps will be to review the information already available from DEQ and BLM to

determine what additional data are needed. If EPA finds a problem that needs to be addressed prior to

the completion of the RI/FS, we will take early action to correct the problem. The community will be

notified if early actions are anticipated.

You Can Be Involved In Cleanup

Your input helps EPA understand the values

and priorities of the community and provides

us with valuable local knowledge that will help

inform the scientific investigation.

EPA has prepared a draft Community

Involvement Plan (CIP) based on interviews

with community members. The CIP

describes ways you can be informed or

involved about the investigation and cleanup at

the Formosa Mine site.

This plan will be updated as needed and your

continuing feedback is welcome. You can view

the Community Involvement Plan online at:

http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/

sites/formosa, or request a copy from Judy

Smith at smith.judy@epa.gov.

Technical Assistance Grant Available

EPA will be offering a Technical Assistance Grant

(TAG) of $50,000 to a qualified group or

organization in order to help your community

participate in the decision making process at the

Formosa Mine. The group receiving the grant

would contract with independent advisors to

interpret and help the community understand

technical information about the site.

In order to be eligible for this grant, members of

the group must represent the interests of the

affected community and be incorporated as a

non-profit organization. One TAG is available for

each site listed on the NPL.

More information about Technical Assistance

Grants, including apply for a grant, visit:

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/community/tag/

faqs.htm. You can also contact Judy Smith at

503-326-6994 or EPA Region 10 TAG

Coordinator Sally Hanft at 206-553-1207.

Public Health Assessment

The Department of Human Services

Environmental Health Assessment Program

(EHAP) is mandated to complete a public health

assessment (PHA) within one year of the

Formosa Mine site being listed on the NPL. The

PHA is designed to collect community concerns

and to determine whether or not conditions at a

Superfund Site could cause health effects in

people. A PHA also includes recommendations

for actions that would reduce human exposure

to contaminants at the site. The Formosa Mine

PHA will be available at the end of October. You

can find more information at:

http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/shine/

fmsite.shtml 

People and wildlife may be at risk from hazardous

substances at the Formosa Mine Site

Formosa Mine Superfund Site August 2008
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-081

Seattle, Washington 98101-3140

<> Working with you for a better environment. <>

Alternative formats are available. For reasonable accommodation, please call Judy Smith

at 503-326-6994. TTY users, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

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U.S. EPA

Permit No. G-35

Seattle, WA

4

For More Information:

Denise Baker-Kircher, EPA Project Manager

206-553-4303

Baker.denise@epa.gov

Judy Smith, EPA Community Outreach

503-326-6994

Smith.judy@epa.gov

Dave Farrer, EHAP Toxicologist

971-673-0971

David.g.farrer@state.or.us

On the web:

http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/cleanup.nsf/sites/formosa

Information repositories:

Riddle Library

637 First Avenue, Riddle

Roseburg Library

1409 NE Diamond Lake Blvd, Roseburg