SEPA
Untied States
Environmental Protection
Agency
OSWER/OSRTI
Washington, DC 20460
National Priorities List (NPL)
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*Proposed Site
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BLUE LEDGE MINE
March 2011
Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest,
California
Siskiyou County
(?) Site Location:
The site 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.
xl Site History:
The site operated as a mine from approximately 1904 to 1930. More than 2 miles of underground excavations were
developed 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.
I Site Contamination/Contaminants:
Hazardous substances from the mine wastes at the site 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
site are above background and exceed the criterion continuous concentration (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 aquatic community can be exposed indefinitely without resulting in an
unacceptable effect.
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