A Superfund site brought to you by the 1872 Mining Law

Between 1990 and 1993, a Canadian company operated the Formosa copper and zinc mine south of Riddle, Oregon.  The company abandoned the 100-acre property in 1994, and by 1997 the “mitigation” used to handle acid mine drainage was proving to be ineffective. As is the case with many other mines, partial reclamation occurred before the company’s departure, but those efforts did not stop copper, cadmium, lead and zinc from polluting 18 miles of nearby waterways.  According to the state, the contamination “severely harmed the ecosystem of these streams, including protected Coho and Steelhead salmon populations.”

In 2007, Formosa was added to the federal Superfund National Priority List as one of the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites—one of dozens of hardrock mines that will cost taxpayers millions in federal oversight and cleanup resources.

See more information on the mine at the Umpqua Watersheds site.

Check out a slideshow below of photos taken of the aftermath (images by Francis Eatherington).

Text of page courtesy PEW Campaign for Responsible Mining.