The Badger Hill Hydraulic Mine - Main Sluice Tunnel site is located on both unpatented BLM administered land and adjoining patented mine lands in the Cherokee Divide District. It represents one of the longest sluice tunnels identified to date on BLM lands. The +20 acre mine site contains a 2000+ foot-long sluice box tunnel containing elemental and methyl mercury in the tunnel sediments. The tunnel dimensions on the inlet end are roughly 8x8 feet. The inlet portal has been reinforced with a cement framework. Preliminary site inspection indicates that the tunnel floor sediments contain fine-sized elemental mercury particles.
The sluice tunnel inlet and outlet represent potential physical safety concerns to the public. Skin contact with the mine water discharge could pose a potential human health concern for recreational miners or public land users. This project site shows excellent potential for an elemental mercury pilot cleanup project.
CERCLA Cleanup Action Benefits: The Badger Hill Sluice Tunnel represents one of the longer sluice tunnel complexes in the Sierra Nevada region with elevated mercury levels in water and sediment. Removal of mercury contaminated sediments within the sluice tunnel will change its present status as a pollution "point source" under the Clean Water act and prevent downstream discharge into the American River watershed. The California State Water Control Board and other regulatory agencies require that BLM undertake removal or remedial actions that significantly reduce mercury loads from its managed lands into the Sacramento River -Bay Delta watershed.
Feasibility: This site of BLM's high priority AML 1010 sites for pilot cleanup. During FY2003-4, technical specialists systematically collected additional water, sediment, and biota samples. During FY2006-7 BLM specialists and BLM contractors will coordinate in compilation of CERCLA environmental documents. Proposed CERCLA mercury cleanup actions will occur during FY2008-11, depending on available funding and AML site prioritization ranking.
Support: There is widespread support from interagency Federal partners (USFS, BOR, EPA), State Partners (DOC AMLU, CWQCB, RWQCB, CA Fish&Game, Public Health), County Partners (Dept. Envtl Health) and various watershed stakeholders (American River Conservancy).
>
