EPA proposes Douglas Co. mine as Superfund site
RIDDLE – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed adding an abandoned copper and zinc mine near the southwestern Oregon town of Riddle to the list of Superfund toxic waste cleanup sites.
After a 60-day public comment period, the agency will decide whether to add the Formosa Mine to the Superfund priority list, making it eligible for federal cleanup funds.
The defunct Canadian mining company Formosa Explorations took zinc and copper ore from the mine from 1990 to 1993.
Since then five million gallons a year of water laced with toxic metals has been leaching into streams that run into Cow Creek, the drinking water source for the town of Riddle.
Agencies have settled on a $14 million cleanup plan for the abandoned mine.
Source: Associated Press via Yahoo News
