News Release:
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US Forest Service
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Eureka, February 29, 2008
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, invites the public to comment on an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA), prepared to evaluate removal action alternatives to address mine wastes at the site of the former Union-Zaar copper mine in the Six Rivers National Forest.
The Forest Service will host a public meeting on March 10, 2008, at 6:00 PM at the Smith River National Recreation Area Headquarters at 10600 Highway 199, Gasquet, CA. The meeting will provide information on the EE/CA developed to address releases of metals from mine waste piles in contact with Copper Creek, a tributary to Rowdy Creek and the Smith River. The meeting is being held to provide citizens the opportunity to review the EE/CA alternatives being presented.
The EE/CA describes the Forest Service’s recommended Removal Action Alternative to address metals in mine waste piles. The goal of the recommended removal action is to eliminate potential human or ecological exposure to metals in mine waste piles located along the banks of Copper Creek and to eliminate the threat of downstream migration of metals from the waste piles to sediment in the creek. The Forest Service’s recommended alternative includes removing mine waste piles from the creek banks and encapsulating them in an on-site containment cell, away from the creek. The creek banks would then be restored and revegetated.
A copy of the EE/CA is located at the Smith River National Recreation Area Headquarters and is available for public review during regular business hours from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The EE/CA can also be accessed online at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sixrivers/projects/union-zaar/. Comments may be provided via email at comments-pacificsouthwest-six-rivers@fs.fed.us or may be submitted in writing to:
- Mr. Curtis Cross
- Six Rivers National Forest
- 1330 Bayshore Way
- Eureka, CA 95501
The 30-day comment period extends through March 31, 2008. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available for public inspection under the Freedom of Information Act. Comments received will be reviewed by the Forest Service and considered during the decision process.
The EE/CA was prepared under the Forest Service’s authority derived from Section 104 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Title 42, United States Code, section 9604) and Federal Executive Order 12580, and is consistent with the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan as found at Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 300. For more information about the EE/CA or the public meeting, please contact Mr. Curtis Cross at 707-441-3508 or ccross@fs.fed.us.
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