EPA Cleanup of Old Elizabeth Copper Mine in Final Phase, Vermont
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An official with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the final phase of the cleanup of the former Elizabeth Mine in Vermont is underway.
In 2001 the EPA declared the South Strafford property a Superfund site, citing the acid- and metal-contaminated water that had been leaching from waste rock and tailings into streams feeding the west branch of the Ompompanoosuc River.
The 150-year-old copper mine closed in 1958.
The Valley News reports the EPA has spent almost $90 million to contain the contamination that was leaking from the mine.
The EPA estimates that the amount of copper flowing into the Ompompanoosuc has fallen 99 percent, while the concentration of iron dropped 95 percent.
The river has been removed from the list of Vermont waterways too “impaired” to support aquatic life.
Source: Associated Press
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