Coronado National Forest: Upper Harshaw Creek Mines Clean Up Report Available

TUCSON, Arizona, Dec. 5 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service unit - Coronado National Forest - issued the following news release:

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- Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis report on Upper Harshaw Creek Mines available for public review and 30-day comment period

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USDA Forest Service, Coronado National Forest officials are developing an environmental cleanup plan for the abandoned Harshaw Creek Mines Site (Site) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Site is located in Arizona, in Santa Cruz County on Forest Service administered land. A draft Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA) report was prepared to identify and evaluate alternatives to clean up the waste rock and close mine features at the Site. The Forest Service is requesting public comments and input on the EE/CA and the recommended cleanup alternative. All public comments are are due by close of business, January 13, 2020.

The purpose of the EE/CA report is to present a detailed analysis of cleanup alternatives that can be used for decision-making. The EE/CA concludes a potential threat to human health and the environment from heavy metal contamination associated with past mining and the physical threat of open mine shafts and trenches. The recommended cleanup alternative is on-site consolidation of waste rock material and physical mine shaft and trench closures. Waste rock material would be excavated and used to backfill open mine shafts and trenches in each mine area. Remaining waste rock material would be consolidated into an on-site consolidation cell and capped with clean soil material. The recommended alternative reduces and/or eliminates the potential for human and ecological exposure to elevated concentrations of heavy metals.

If you are interested in providing input and comments, the EE/CA is available for review at the Coronado National Forest Supervisor's Office in Tucson, Arizona and also at the Southwestern Regional Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico (addresses below). The draft EE/CA is also available in pdf format by email upon request from the Southwestern Regional Office.

Following the comment period, the Forest Service will consider written public input in selecting the final cleanup alternative. Written comments will be accepted until close of business on January 13, 2020. The selected alternative will be documented in a Removal Action Approval Memorandum. Send written comments to either one of the contacts listed below:

USDA Forest Service

300 W. Congress St.

Tucson, AZ 85701

Contact: Hailey Stock, Environmental Engineer

hailey.stock@usda.gov

USDA Forest Service

333 Broadway Blvd. SE

Albuquerque, NM 87102

Contact: Angelica Villa, Assistant Regional Environmental Engineer

angelica.villa@usda.gov