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Minewater Pumping Halted: Permit Appealed
Release Date: 5/4/1998
Contact Information: Bill Riley
[email protected]
(206) 553-1412 or 800-424-4372
May 4, 1998 - - - - - - - - - - 98-20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today confirmed that Kvaerner Environmental will not be allowed to pump out the Deep North excavation at the Alaska-Juneau mine while EPA reviews an appeal by Alaskans for Juneau to reconsider the EPA permit that would allow the pumping to take place.
Alaskans for Juneau appealed the permit after the group obtained records from an EPA investigation of suspected criminal activity by Echo Bay, the mine owners, during exploration activities at the mine in 1993 and 1994. The records were made available to Alaskans for Juneau through a Freedom of Information Act request that was handled by EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The information given to Alaskans for Juneau had never been made available to the permit writers at EPA's Northwest regional offices in Seattle.
"Now that we have the information from the investigation, we will review everything available to us," said Phil Millam, director of EPA's regional water office. "Until we have completed our review of the new information and of information contained in the appeal, the permit is not in effect and no pumping may take place."
The investigation by the EPA criminal unit was triggered by a fish kill in March 1994 at Gold Creek, the same stream into which the wastewater from the Deep North excavation would be pumped. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Justice declined to bring criminal charges against Echo Bay.
The Deep North excavation, called a "stope" in mining parlance, is a mined-out area containing millions of gallons of minewater and other wastes that were accumulated during the 1993 and 1994 exploration activity.
The Deep North stope lies within Mount Roberts. Gold Creek is the source of 50 percent of the drinking water for the city of Juneau.
Millam said he was hopeful the EPA review of the newly-available information could be completed within a month.
EPA has requested a meeting of A-J Mine Closure Review Team (CRT) to explain to team members the process it will use to consider the appeal. Members of the CRT include representatives of Alaskans for Juneau and Kvaerner Environmental. Kvaerner is the company hired by Echo Bay to develop and implement a mine closure plan.
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