New Idria Mercury Mine

Location

Contaminated media

• Groundwater
• Sediment
• Surface Water

Cleanup timeline

1. Initial Assessment Completed — 06/26/1998
2. Proposed to the National Priorities List — 03/10/2011
3. Finalized on the National Priorities List — 09/16/2011
4. Remedial Investigation Started — 05/23/2012
5. Remedy Selected — Not Yet Achieved
6. Remedial Action Started — Not Yet Achieved
7. Construction Completed — Not Yet Achieved
8. Deleted from National Priorities List — Not Yet Achieved
9. Most Recent Five-Year Review — Not Yet Achieved
10. Achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Reuse — Not Yet Achieved

EPA references

• EPA facility record →
• EPA Superfund profile →

Understanding this Superfund site

New Idria Mercury Mine is a federal Superfund site in California. 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: Listed on NPL. This site is on EPA's National Priorities List, which identifies the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. Listing triggers federal cleanup authority and funding under CERCLA (the Superfund law).

Contamination has been detected in groundwater, sediment, surface water.

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.