Superfund- Hoopa Valley Tribe

Celtor Chemical Works
This site was used to extract copper, zinc and other precious metals from sulfide ore mined at the Copper Bluff Mine between the 1957 and 1962. The facility was cited in civil court for fish kills in 1962 and the facility closed. After abandonment in 1962, mine tailings and some equipment remained on site. The site was targeted by the Abandoned Site Project (ASP) investigation of Humboldt County in 1981. Subsequent soil investigation revealed high levels of heavy metals and very acid conditions. In 1983, the Celtor site was approved for cleanup under the Federal Superfund Program, and was remediated in 1987-88. In addition, waste soil from the Celtor site was reportedly used as fill material at several sites throughout the valley, including a playground for pre-school and elementary school children, a high school football field, a county landfill, and housing sites.

Taken in August 1999 - visible signs of leachate salts at Celtor Chemical Works

The 1993 Five Year Review of the Celtor Chemical Works site conducted by USEPA revealed that (1) the re-vegetation and post-closure maintenance was successful at insuring that the vegetation survived; (2) the vegetation cover is in good condition and there is no evidence of erosion, (3) there is no need to impose additional operation and maintenance requirements; (4) the original cleanup objectives remain protective of human health and the environment; and (5) there are no new Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Standards, Limitations, Criteria, and Requirements (ARARs) which would make the remedial action insufficient. The site was sampled by TEPA staff in August 1999 however, and residual salts containing moderate levels of arsenic and cadmium are still present in the soil. The site is currently being reviewed for de-listing from the National Priority List (NPL).

Copper Bluff Mine
The Copper Bluff Mine is located approximately 0.5 miles north of the Celtor Chemical Works, adjacent to the Trinity River. Mining operations at Copper Bluff Mine (formerly Bolivar Mine) began in the 1930's. Copper, zinc, silver, and gold were extracted from the ore. Mining operations ceased in 1962 and the mine was abandoned. A 1981 study of the Copper Bluff Mine sludges found concentrations above drinking water MCL for arsenic, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, selenium, and zinc. Soil and water were sampled at the Copper Bluff Mine by Ecology and Environment (1982), and revealed high levels of heavy metals (copper, cadmium, lead, manganese) and very acidic conditions. A 1987 study of sediment from the Trinity River both up and downstream from the effluent of the Copper Bluff Mine found the following heavy metals in excess of the current regulations: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, nickel, copper and zinc. As of 1991, the mine shaft remains open and water discharges from the shaft directly into the Trinity River. The mine water is highly acidic, and contains high levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc. The Copper Bluff Mine will be assessed within the next few months for possible inclusion in the Superfund priority list through a Cooperative Agreement with EPA.

Hoopa Veneer
The Masonite Meskat Mill site (also known as the Hoopa Veneer Site) was previously operated by Hoopa Veneer and Humboldt Fir Company. Lumber milling operations throughout the site involved use of fungicides and a wood preservative known as pentachlorophenol or PCP. However, different portions of the site were used by various operators, and the exact locations of use and the identity of all the compounds used are unknown.

A 1981 investigation of the site revealed levels of the following heavy metals above the Maximum Concentration Levels (MCL): arsenic, chromium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc. A study in 1982 also found levels of mercury and lead above the MCL. A DHS study in 1984 found high levels of barium, chromium, cobalt, lead, and vanadium and in 1986 found levels of arsenic and chromium. Investigation by third party contractors in 1982 and 1987 detected high levels of PCPs (and related constituents), heavy metals and oil-grease on the site. Limited site remediation was conducted on lots 291-295. Furthermore, sediment from a seep in Meskat Field contained levels of chromium, nickel, and zinc in excess of the current California Regulations for hazardous waste. No soil/groundwater testing has been conducted for toxics on the remaining portions of the Meskat Mill Site. Currently, plans include a preliminary site investigation and assessment to determine the level of contamination. Through a Cooperative Agreement with EPA, the Hoopa Tribal Environmental Protection Agency has obtained funding to work with EPA in assessing the site under CERCLA for possible inclusion on the NPL. There are several other Superfund and/or hazardous waste sites in the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation.

For a complete disclosure of the sites you may download our list of hazardous sites here.