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EPA turns Anaconda Copper Mine Cleanup Over to State of Nevada

A pond of toxic runoff sits at the site of the Anaconda Copper Mine
Nevada Appeal
The evaporation pond containing the runoff liquids from the Anaconda Mine to prevent it from contaminating the water supply. The liquid contained in the pond has an average PH level of 2-4 and is primarly copper (green) and sulfiric acid.

Yerington's Anaconda Copper Mine has been removed from a federal list of Superfund clean-up sites. Our contributor Kaleb Roedel of the Northern Nevada Business Weekly has the story.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made the announcement last week. The Anaconda Copper Mine was included on the Superfund list back in 2016, but the EPA's updated list no longer includes the site as cleanup activities progress.

The site covers more than 3,400 acres in the Mason Valley in Lyon County and includes groundwater contamination among other issues.

In February, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Governor Brian Sandoval signed an agreement to defer the listing and turn the job over to the state.

Under deferral, cleanup at the mine must still achieve the same level of human health and environmental protection by meeting all applicable federal and state requirements.

To read the rest of the story, please visit the Northern Nevada Business Weekly.

Kaleb is an award-winning journalist and KUNR’s Mountain West News Bureau reporter. His reporting covers issues related to the environment, wildlife and water in Nevada and the region.