Formosa Mine Adit #1 Removal Work Continues
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Roseburg, OR. – A joint project between the Army Corp of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that will include a removal action at the Formosa Mine Superfund site near the headwaters of the Middle Creek drainage, southwest of Riddle, Oregon, will continue through for the next several months.
The BLM is committed to keeping public landscapes healthy and productive. This removal action will include adit opening, adit rehabilitation, and installation of a flow-through bulkhead.
This removal action will be ongoing through the fall of 2018 and will include heavy equipment traffic and closed roads during portions of the project.
The overall goal of the project is to control, treat, reduce, or eliminate uncontrolled releases of hazardous metals and acidity from the Formosa 1 Adit discharge, reducing the ecological risk and human exposure.
The Formosa Mine was actively mined for copper, gold, and silver in the 1920s and 1930s and again from 1990 to 1993. Reclamation, including adit closure, was conducted in 1993 and 1994, but has been unsuccessful in eliminating the mine drainage from the Formosa 1 Adit.
For further information, please contact Cheyne Rossbach, 541-579-0648.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.