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Human Health and Environmental Damages from Mining and Mineral Processing Wastes

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Human Health and Environmental Damages from Mining and Mineral Processing Wastes HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES FROM MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING WASTES Technical Background Document Supporting the Supplemental Proposed Rule Applying Phase IV Land Disposal Restrictions to Newly Identified Mineral Processing Wastes - Includes supplemetal attachments on (1) Mine Waste Releases and Contaminants for Selected Facilities; (2) Natural Resource Damages and (3) Releases from Phosphogypsum Storage Piles. Office of Solid Waste U.S. Environmental Protection Agency December 1995 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW ........................................................ 1 Purpose of the Background Document ............................................ 1 Process for Developing the Background Document .................................. 1 Summary of Damage Cases .................................................... 4 Conclusion ................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 2. ILLUSTRATIVE DAMAGE CASES .................................... 9 Arizona C Ray Mines Complex: UST Leak, PCB and Acid Spills, and Wastewater Transfer ............................................................. 13 California C American Girl Mine: Two of Three Releases Were Contained ..................... 15 C Carson Hill Gold Mine: Cyanide Solution Spills Into Reservoir .................... 16 C Grey Eagle Mine: Faulty Dam Plagues Operation ............................... 18 C Iron Mountain Mine: Uncontrolled Release Kills 200,000 Salmon .................. 20 C Jamestown Mine: Plagued by Numerous Spills ................................. 22 C Mount Diablo Mine: Mercury From Mine Found in Local Streams, Park ............ 24 C Mountain Pass Mine and Mill: Lanthanide Mine Contaminating Ground Water ....... 25 C Pine Creek: Tungsten Mill Leaks Pollutants into Nearby Stream ................... 27 C U.S. Borax Mine: Polluting Ground Water .................................... 28 Colorado C ASARCO Globe: Metals Polluted Ground Water and Soil ........................ 30 C Clear Creek: Old Mine Waste Tunnels and Tailings Erosion Cause Contamination ........................................................ 32 C Climax Mine: Molybdenum Mine Tailings Blown Off-Site ....................... 34 C Denver Radium: Gold and Silver Mining Wastes Heavily Contaminate Soil .......... 35 C Idarado Mine: Millsite Areas Used for Hazardous Waste Disposal ................. 36 C Lincoln Park Site: Ground Water Injurious to Cattle ............................. 38 C Rubie Heap Leach: Releases of Cyanide from Heap Leaching at Gold Mine .......... 40 C Smeltertown: Bottled Water Needed to Replace Contaminated Well Water ........... 41 C Smuggler Mountain: Old Mine Listed on NPL ................................. 43 C Urad Mine and Mill: Tailings Contaminate Creek ............................... 44 Page i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Florida C Bartow Chemical Plant: Radioisotopes Contaminate Florida Ground Water .......... 45 C East Tampa Chemical Plant Complex: Acidic Discharge Kills Crabs ................ 47 C Plant City Chemical Complex: Ground Water Contaminated at CPI Plant ............ 49 Idaho C Blackbird Mine: Endangered Salmon Potentially Affected by Poor Water Quality .............................................................. 51 C Bunker Hill: One of the Largest and Most Complex NPL Sites .................... 52 C Lucky Friday Mine: Tailings Discharge Kills Fish and Aquatic Insects .............. 54 C Microgold II Mine: Mercury Contamination from Gold Mining .................... 55 C Nu-West Plant: Wastewater Spill Flows Four Miles ............................. 56 Illinois C Illinois Zinc Plant: Heavy Metals Released by Run-off and Leachate ................ 58 Kansas and Oklahoma C Tar Creek: Mine Water Contaminates Drinking Water Source ..................... 59 Louisiana C Allied-Signal Hydrofluoric Acid Plant: Untreated Wastewater Discharged to Mississippi ........................................................... 60 C Arcadian Phosphoric Acid Plant: Emergency Discharges of Wastewater Released to Mississippi ................................................. 62 C Faustina Works Phosphoric Acid Facility: Low pH Water Released to St. James Bayou ......................................................... 64 C Ormet Aluminum Plant: Red Mud Discharges Cause High pH in Canal .............. 66 Michigan C Torch Lake Copper Mines: Tailings Contaminate Fish and Create Public Health Concern ....................................................... 68 Missouri C Doe Run Lead Smelter: Slag Metals Found in Ground Water ...................... 69 C Glover Lead Smelter: Contamination in Ground and Surface Water ................. 71 C Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt: Contaminants Spread Over Wide Area ............. 73 Page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Montana C Anaconda Smelter: Pollution from Copper Processing Wastes Force a Community to Relocate ................................................. 74 C Basin Creek Mine: Gold Mine Contaminates Local Waters ....................... 75 C Cable Creek Project: Spring Thaw Causes Overflow Pond Discharges .............. 76 C East Helena Smelter: Elevated Blood-Lead Levels Found Nearby .................. 77 C U.S. Antimony Mine: Mine Tailings Contaminate Creek and Wildlife ............... 78 Nevada C Nevada Moly Project: Mercury Spilled Down Water Well at Copper Mine ........... 79 C Taylor/Ward Project: Tailings Spill Pollutes Forest Service Lands ................. 80 New Jersey C Glen Ridge and Montclair/West Orange: Radioactive Waste Pollutes Residential Soils ...................................................... 81 New Mexico C Chino Mine: Wastewater Overflow and Other Practices Pollute Creek .............. 82 C Tyrone Mine: Tailings Dams Contaminate Ground Water ........................ 83 North Carolina C Aurora Phosphate Plant: Wastewater Overflow Kills Fish ........................ 84 North Dakota C Great Plains Coal Gasification Plant: Gasifier Ash Contaminates Ground Water ...... 86 Northwest United States C Confidential Site: Drinking Water Contaminated at Phosphate Mine ................ 89 Ohio C ASARCO Zinc Mine: Acutely Toxic Releases to Surface Water ................... 90 Page iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Oregon C Martin Marietta Reduction Facility: Aluminum Production Facility Placed on NPL ................................................................ 92 C Teledyne Wah Chang Albany: Ground and Surface Water Contaminated by Metals Manufacturing Wastes ............................................ 94 Pennsylvania C Aliquippa Works: High pH in Ground Water Leachate ........................... 96 C Foote Mineral Company: Lithium Detected in Ground Water ..................... 98 C Palmerton Zinc: Enormous Waste Pile Pollutes Soil and Creek .................... 99 South Carolina C Brewer Gold Mine: Cyanide Release from Gold Mine Affects Biotic Communities ........................................................ 100 South Dakota C Gilt Edge Project: Liner Leaks Contaminate Ground Water ...................... 101 C Homestake Gold Mine: Heavy Rains Force Homestake to Correct Drainage Problems ........................................................... 102 Texas C El Paso Plant: Run-off and Discharge Pollute Rio Grande ....................... 103 Utah C Kennecott North: Tailings from 5,700 Acre Pond Pollute Ground Water ............ 105 C Kennecott South: Drinking Water Wells Contaminated by Leach Dumps ........... 106 C Monticello Mill: Mill Tailings Contaminate Nearby Community .................. 107 Virginia C U.S. Titanium: Contaminated Titanium Mine Kills Fish ......................... 109 Washington C ASARCO Tacoma Smelter: Slag Pollutes Bay ................................ 111 CHAPTER 3. REPORT FINDINGS ................................................ 113 ATTACHMENTS: MINING WASTE RELEASES AND CONTAMINANTS FOR SELECTED FACILITIES; NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGES; RELEASES FROM PHOSPHOGYPSUM STORAGE PILES. Page iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW This chapter describes (1) the purpose of the background document, (2) the process EPA used to develop the document, (3) the variety of damage cases included, and (4) conclusion. Chapter 2 presents 66 damage cases. Chapter 3 presents the report findings. Purpose of the Background Document The U.S. EPA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this background document to illustrate the human health and environmental damages caused by management of wastes from mining (i.e., extraction and beneficiation) and mineral processing, particularly damages caused by placement of mining and mineral processing wastes in land-based units. These damage case illustrations will provide technical support for various provisions of the supplemental proposed rule to apply Phase IV land disposal restrictions to newly identified mineral processing wastes and make other regulatory changes. Although the damage cases in this report do not represent a statistically representative sample of all mining and mineral processing sites or the damages they have caused, the cases do provide convincing evidence that wastes from mining and mineral processing have caused significant human health and environmental damages. Both wastes that are subject to and, under the Bevill Amendment (RCRA §3001(b)(3)(A)(i-iii), exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are responsible for these damages. These damages occur across a broad range of mineral commodity sectors--from alumina
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