vyEPA Removal Action Update Chevron Questa Mine Superfund Site 1 Taos County, New Mexico September 2012 This Fact This Sheet will tell you about... • Current Actions • Next steps • Community Participation • Questions and Answers • Where to get more information CURRENT ACTIONS Removal Actions are currently underway at the Chevron Questa Mine Superfund Site located near the Village of Questa in Taos County, New Mexico. Chevron Mining Inc. (CMI) has removed poly chlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soil in the Mill Area with off-Site treatment/disposal of the excavated soil. Work at the Mill Area started on July 9, 2012. The soil was excavated and confirmation soil samples collected and analyzed to make sure that required cleanup levels were met. The excavated soil was staged at the Mill Area within the remaining areas to be excavated. If cleanup levels were not met, additional soil was excavated. PCB- impacted soils were treated and/or disposed at appropriate EPA approved off-site facilities. The excavated areas were backfilled with clean soil and the area regraded for proper drainage. NEXT STEPS Installation of inlet storm water controls at Eagle Rock Take is scheduled for mid October 2012. Affected homeowners will be individually notified by Chevron approximately two (2) weeks before construction begins. This structure will be installed to reduce the amount of sediment entering the lake during storm events. This work will be completed over a two week period. During this time, Old Red River Road will be periodically closed for two to three days in order to dig a four-foot trench is dug to run electrical power to the inlet control headgate. Additionally, the parking area on the north side of the lake will be closed during work hours. Safety barricades will be used to control access to work areas. Excavation of the Eagle Rock Take sediments is currently planned for Summer 2013, once work being conducted at Cabresto Lake by the New Mexico State Engineers Office is completed. Placement of piping along a portion of the Eastern Diversion Channel to prevent unused irrigation water from infiltrating through historic buried tailing in the Tailing Facility Area is estimated to start in mid-November 2012. The Fall of 2012 is an optimum time for this work due to work on Cabresto Lake and a reduction in the amount of water in the irrigation channel. Less water makes construction of this project more manageable. A plume of ground water impacted by molybdenum begins in this area of the tailings facility and may be due to unused irrigation water in the channel coming into contact with historic buried tailing beneath the channel. A pipeline in the channel bottom will be constructed to carry the irrigation return water past the buried tailing. This should dry up the area of historic buried tailing and should reduce molybdenum concentrations in ground water. Photograph Eagle Rock Lake ------- Work to cleanup historic tailing spill deposits is estimated to start in the Spring of 2013. During tailing disposal operations, leaks developed in the pipeline which resulted in tailing spilling onto the adjacent ground. Most of the spills occurred prior to completing installation of a rubber-lined pipe in 1991. The historic tailing spills are located primarily in the current and historic pipeline areas along the Red River floodplain and are identified in three general areas: catchment areas or open areas, along the existing pipeline or the historic pipeline, and in forested areas. The historic tailing spills were identified and sampled as part of the site reconnaissance in 2004 and resurveyed in 2011. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION EPA welcomes the opportunity to improve our communication effort by gaining feedback and suggestions from you. Do you have suggestions that can improve the exchange of information or ideas that can enhance the implementation of the removal efforts? Then we want to hear from you! Information on how you can get involved is available in the "Where to Get More Information Section." Your participation can make a difference! QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Question: Why is the sediment in Eagle Rock Lake being cleaned up? Answer: Eagle Rock Lake sediment may harm aquatic organisms in the lake that serve as a major food source for fish. Question: Are fish in Eagle Rock Lake safe to eat? Answer: Yes, the fish in Eagle Rock Lake are safe to eat. The rainbow trout in Eagle Rock Lake are stocked by the Red River State Fish Hatchery. Question: Will I be able to fish Eagle Rock Lake during cleanup work? Answer: Fishing will be allowed during the initial work scheduled to be completed in 2012, although areas will be an active construction zones and access will be temporarily limited when required. Fishing will be restricted during sediment removal and until clarity of the water improves, sediment settles, and the lake is restocked with rainbow trout. These activities are scheduled to occur during the Summer of 2013. Question: How will residents be impacted during the installation of inlet storm water controls at Eagle Rock Lake ? Answer: Old Red River Road will be closed for two to three days in order to dig a trench to run electrical power to the inlet control headgate. The parking area on the north side of the lake will be closed during work hours. Safety barricades will be used to control access to work areas. Installation work will begin mid-October 2012, and is expected to last two weeks. Homeowners affected by the closure of Old Red River Road will be individually notified by Chevron approximately two (2) weeks before construction begins. Question: Is anyone using ground water contaminated with molybdenum from the historic buried tailing beneath the irrigation channel? Answer: No. At this time, EPA is not aware of any private wells currently used by residents for drinking water that have mine-related contamination. Although future use of ground water as drinking water in the area of contamination at the Tailing Facility Area is possible, temporary well drilling restrictions will be imposed to limit such use until ground water cleanup levels are attained. Question: Where does the Village of Questa 's water supply come from and is it safe to drink? Answer: The drinking water provided by the Village is collected from its municipal water supply wells, located in the northern part of Questa and not near any known ground-water contamination. The Village's municipal water supply is tested on a monthly basis for both biological and chemical contaminants and, by law, must pass state and federal drinking water standards. It understood that, based on such testing, the Village's water is considered safe to drink. The results of the water supply testing are included in the Village municipality's annual water quality report, which is available to the public upon request. You may obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Village of Questa. At the request of several Questa residents, NMED and EPA collected tap samples from their homes for analysis. The result from that testing indicated drinking water was within standards. The Village also collected tap samples from several residences and commercial properties for analysis. ------- EPA was informed the results from those analyses showed drinking water was within standards. The Village also offered to test any tap for any resident, if so requested. Question: How does molybdenum affect people? Answer: Humans are less sensitive to molybdenum than cattle and other animals with complex stomachs. The only study reviewed by the EPA in which health effects have been reported in humans was a 1961 epidemiology study in which a population was naturally exposed to high concentrations of molybdenum and low levels of copper in soil, water, and food. The study found increased blood uric acid levels and a higher incidence of joint disorders, similar to gout. The EPA has concluded that molybdenum may cause mineral imbalances in humans leading to a gout-like condition. (Sources: Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals, National Academy of Sciences, 1992; USEPA Integrated Risk Information System, Molybdenum File, 2008) Question: How does molybdenum affect animals? Why are cattle so sensitive to the effects of molybdenum and deer and elk less affected? Answer: Cattle are particularly susceptible to a condition known as molybdenosis, symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea, discoloration of hair, and lameness (bone and joint disorders). Cattle and sheep are known to be more susceptible to molybdenosis than horses, deer, elk, or humans because they possess a more complex digestive system. Another reason other animals, including deer and elk, are less sensitive to molybdenum is because they tend to range over a wider feeding area than cattle do. (Source: Mineral Tolerance of Domestic Animals, National Academy of Sciences, 1992). Question: Why are historic tailing spills being cleaned up? Answer: High concentrations of molybdenum in some of the tailing spills may harm birds and non- grazing mammals. Question: Where will the historic tailing spills be taken and by what route? Answer: The historic tailing spills will be loaded onto trucks and taken to an on-site disposal location at the Tailing Facility. The haul route will be from individual spill locations west along Highway 38, heading north along Highway 522 and west along Don Martinez Road to the northern entrance to the tailing facility. Where to get more information... Laura Stankosky Region 6 Remedial Project Manager U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (214) 665-7525 or 1-800-533-3508 (Toll-free) Joseph Fox Project Manager New Mexico Environment Department (505) 222-9560 Janetta Coats Region 6 Community Involvement Coordinator Technical Assistance Grant (TAG), Project Officer U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (214) 665-7308 or 1-800-533-3508 (Toll-free) Margaret Lejuste Public Affairs Manager Chevron Mining Questa Mine (575) 586-7616 Information Repositories: The Administrative Record, including the Record of Decision, for the site is available at the following locations: Village of Questa 2500 Old State Road 3 P. O. Box 260 Questa, New Mexico 87556 (575) 586-0694 New Mexico Environment Department 1190 St. Francis Dr. Santa Fe, NM (505) 827-2340 Inquiries from the news media should be directed to the External Affairs Office at (214) 665-2200. You can find more information about the Region 6 Superfund program on EPA's Region 6 website: http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/6sf.htm A Site Status Summary for this site can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/6sf-nm.htm ------- The EPA wishes to thank the community members for their participation at all EPA community meetings and encourages everyone to attend the next meeting to be held by EPA. We will notify the community of the next community involvement event when it is scheduled. n rnyi Region 6 1445 Ross Ave. (6SF-VO) Dallas, TX 75202 ------- |