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The Lava Cap Mine SuperFund site, located in western Nevada County approximately 5 miles southeast of Nevada City, is contaminated primarily with arsenic. Gold and silver mining took place at the Lava Cap Mine from 1861 until 1918 and from 1934 to 1943. Mine tailings from the site are still present both in the mining area and also downstream where they have washed into Little Clipper Creek and Lost Lake. During a storm in January 1997, a log dam built to contain some of the tailings collapsed and released over 10,000 cubic yards of tailings into Little Clipper Creek. Arsenic is found at elevated levels in the tailings, in the water of the creek and the lake, and in shallow groundwater below the tailings.
Arsenic is a human poison and a known carcinogen, fatal at high levels of exposure and responsible for numerous maladies at lower levels.
In February 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency listed the Lava Cap Mine site on the National Priorities List which provides Superfund funding for investigation and cleanup of the site. SYRCL is a leading member of the Lava Cap Mine Superfund Coalition which also includes the Greenhorn Road Association and the Banner Mountain Home Owners Association. The group secured a Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) that provides funding to hire a technical advisor to help the community become involved in the cleanup process.
Find out more:
EPA Lava Cap Mine Site
Arsenic Factsheet from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Lava Cap Mine Superfund Reports
Overview of Current Lava Cap Mine Superfund Site Investigation and
Remediation
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