Some Dirty Rotten Rumors about New Idria

There are many opinions regarding pollution and environmental hazards at Idria and it therefore becomes impossible to give fair audience to such a difficult topic. On this page, we attempt to at least relate the gamut of opinion by dividing them into two broad statements, expressed below as "Opinion A" and "Opinion B."

Opinion B

Click here to read Opinion A

New Idria, EPA ID: CA0001900463, is listed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EPA's Superfund Information Systems CERCLIS Database. The New Idria Mercury Mine, the world's fourth largest quicksilver mine, became listed in the EPA's Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) database on April 16, 1996 because of the many complex environmental issues associated with this property's legacy as 115 years as a cinnabar mine and a mercury processing plant.

While there has been a good deal of study and concern about the pollution and contamination problems at New Idria, little has been done to begin remediation because the property owners lack the funds necessary for the environmental cleanup and hazard remediation. Regrettably, with several concerned environmental groups waiting in the litigation wings, it is doubtful that any well-off investor will purchase the property simply because litigation will begin the day after escrow closes.

The EPA awarded San Benito County a $200,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant in 2004. The infusion of federal money into the New Idria property undertakings, and the fact that New Idria is a registered California Historic Landmark (324), guarantees historical and cultural preservation because Idria's future is now forever bound to federal, state, and county preservation mandates stipulated in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Future property owners will be prohibited from removing historic structures and are required to adhere to historic preservation codes when remodeling or rehabilitating structures.

Articles and Report on Environmental Contamination Issues at New Idria

  • Mercury: The Toxic legacy of the California Gold Rush
  • Methyl-Mercury Degradation Pathways: A Comparison among Three Mercury-Impacted Ecosystems
  • Mine owner charged with hazardous material violations By Tracie Cone
  • Mining Interagency Cooperation at New Idria Illegal Dump Site Cleanup a presentation by Matthew R. Fore
  • New Idria cleanup prospect gets boost by Kate Woods
  • New Idria garbage to be removed by Kate Woods
  • Restoring San Carlos Creek in San Benito County by Dr. Khalil Abu-Saba
  • SF Bay Mercury Backgrounder, Sierra Club
  • Speciation of Arsenic and Mercury in Mine Tailing Materials Mobilized by Natural Organic Acids
  • Spatial and Temporal Variability in the Aquatic Cycling of Chromium by Dr. Khalil Abu-Saba
  • The influence of colloidal phases on Hg-transport from mercury mine waste tailings
  • The Mercury Problem: California's Gold Rush Legacy by Mika Pringle Tolson
  • Tracking a toxic trail Long-closed mine identified as largest source of mercury in San Francisco Bay by Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer

    Known Environmental Issues at New Idria

    There are many complex issues associated with the New Idria property and town site. Many issues are related to the overall environmental contamination and threat to the surrounding area, but some are also important because public accessibility from the county road that passes directly through the town site. The following, list some of the issues already identified, many other issue are yet unidentified:

    • Abandoned Adits and Ventilation Shafts--several adits and ventilation shafts remain open on the property creating a serious public threat and liability risk.
    • Abandoned and Dilapidated Structures--Idria contains about seventy heavily vandalized historic structures.
    • Abandoned Fuel Oil Storage Tank-- two fuel oil storage tanks have been identified on the Idria property. One leaking storage tank contains "Bunker-C" oil.
    • Abandoned Septic Systems--there are many abandoned and collapsing septic system scattered around the Idria town site that must be identified and remediated.
    • Abandoned Vehicles--the property contains several abandoned vehicles.
    • Acid Mine Drainage--historical accounts show that San Carlos Creek supported greater diversity and abundance of biota in the past but years of elevated mercury, increased turbidity, and acid mine drainage has killed or displaced much of the original biota.
    • Asbestos Contamination--two industrial asbestos contamination sites have been identified in the Idria town site.
    • Chromium IV Contamination--elevated levels of carcinogenic Chromium IV have been identified in the Idria drinking water.
    • Dioxin / PCB hotspots have been identified on the property and may be leaching into San Carlos Creek.
    • Furnace Building--the historic furnace building, which qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places, exhibit a complex mix of contamination issues including mercury, crude oil, industrial asbestos, and other industrial chemicals.
    • Hantavirus--rodents known to carry the deadly hantavirus have been identified on the New Idria property.
    • Historic Exhaust Sites--the stack area from the historic Scotts Furnace has high contamination potential and drains directly into San Carlos Creek.
    • Human Waste and Feces--campers have contaminated portions of the property with human waste and feces.
    • Industrial Debris--various kinds of industrial debris are scattered about the property.
    • Lead Contamination--caused by target shooters has left several tons of elemental lead leaching in the San Carlos drainage.
    • Materials Abandoned by Current Owner--many of the buildings in the town site are filled with many tons of various kinds of industrial compounds and other materials.
    • Mercury Contamination--elevated mercury levels are identified in San Carlos Creek.
    • Mine Tailings--an estimated 6,200 cubic yards of mercury are contained within the more than 20 million cubic yards of mine tailing stored in the New Idria dump causing elevated mercury levels in the San Carlos Creek and surrounding atmosphere.

    Click here to read Opinion A

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    Copyright ©, 2005 Three Rocks Research. Update: December 30, 2006