Elizabeth Mine

⚠ Superfund · Construction complete

EPA has completed all of the construction components of the cleanup. The State of Vermont is responsible for the maintenance and monitoring of the completed cleanup actions. EPA is continuing to monitor the performance of the passive treatment system as part of an EPA Mine Waste Technology demonstration project.

Location

CityStrafford
CountyOrange County
StateVermont
Coordinates43.82389, -72.32889

Contaminants of concern

Contaminated media

Cleanup timeline

  1. Initial Assessment Completed — 04/25/1990
  2. Proposed to the National Priorities List — 12/01/2000
  3. Finalized on the National Priorities List — 06/14/2001
  4. Remedial Investigation Started — 06/28/2001
  5. Final Remedy Selected — 09/28/2006
  6. Remedial Action Started — 08/04/2008
  7. Final Remedial Action Started — 08/20/2020
  8. Construction Completed — 12/21/2021
  9. Deleted from National Priorities List — Not Yet Achieved
  10. Most Recent Five-Year Review — 09/20/2024

EPA references

Other Superfund sites in Orange County

EPA-regulated facilities nearby

Understanding this Superfund site

Elizabeth Mine is a federal Superfund site in Vermont. The Superfund program, created by Congress in 1980, addresses sites where hazardous substances have been released or threaten release into the environment. EPA scores potential sites using the Hazard Ranking System; those that score high enough are placed on the National Priorities List.

Current status: Construction complete. Physical construction of the cleanup remedy is complete, though long-term monitoring and institutional controls typically continue for years or decades. Groundwater treatment systems, for example, often run long after surface cleanup finishes.

EPA has identified 10 contaminants of concern at this site, including aluminum, arsenic, barium. Contamination has been detected in surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment.

If you live near this site and have health concerns, your state health department can provide site-specific guidance. EPA maintains a community involvement program for most NPL sites, and site documents — including the Record of Decision, five-year reviews, and public health assessments — are typically available through EPA's Superfund site profile.