|
 |
|
|
|
Site Type: Site Awaiting NPL Decision (SAND) 
KERRAMERICAN MINE (FORMER)
 | Click to view
map of site |
| BLUE HILL, Maine |
| HANCOCK County |
| Street Address: | MINES ROAD
|
| Zip Code: | 04614 |
Congressional
District(s): |
02 |
| EPA ID #: | MED055715775 |
| Site ID #: | 0102737 |
| Site Alias: | Kerr-American; Kerr American |
|
|
Description
The Kerramerican Mine property is located along Route 15/176 in Blue Hill, Hancock County, Maine. The property is identified on the Town of Blue Hill Tax Assessor’s Map 27 as Lot Nos. 74, 100, and 10, owned separately by DLM Associates and two private owners. An on-site access road forms the border between a mill process area and a waste disposal area on the property. The 53-acre waste disposal area consists of two former tailings ponds that have been covered with till and vegetation. The mill process area is occupied by a hoist house, former service and concentrator buildings, foundations of former thickener units, and the headframe of a mine shaft. Three unnamed intermittent streams and Carleton Stream flow through the property. The property is bordered by Second Pond to the west; Carlton Stream to the south; and undeveloped land to the east and north.
In 1880, mining operations began in the area surrounding the property known as the Blue Hills Copper Mining District. Mine tailing wastes, such as copper slag from mining operations in the area, were disposed of along the shore of Second Pond. In 1964 and 1965, Black Hawk Mining Ltd. (Black Hawk) and Dennison Mines Ltd. of Toronto conducted extensive underground development of the ore body located directly beneath Second Pond. In 1971, Kerramerican Inc. (Kerramerican) constructed a mining facility on the property to produce zinc and copper from ore extracted from the mine located beneath Second Pond. The on-site streams were dammed to construct two tailings ponds. Reportedly, waste slag material from Second Pond was used in the construction of the Kerramerican facility and a dike separating the two tailings ponds. Between 1971 and 1977, operations at the property included the following: concentrating of raw material by crushing and grinding ore; adding water to produce a fine slurry; and extracting mineral concentrates using an alkaline floatation process. Historically, reagents used in the milling process included unknown quantities of sodium sulfate, copper sulfate, lime, and other unknown reagents. Wastewater and tailings were discharged to the tailings ponds which served as primary and secondary settling basins. Water flowing from the tailings ponds was either recycled in the milling process or discharged to Carleton Stream. In 1975, untreated mine tailings were released directly to Carleton Stream through broken pipes and valves. When mine operations ceased in 1977, the tailings ponds were covered with 12 inches of fill material and seeded. In 1981, Kerramerican covered all exposed mine tailings to prevent contamination of surfacewater and groundwater in order to comply with an administrative enforcement agreement made previously with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME DEP). Since 1981, some of the soil covering waste metal deposits has eroded to expose waste tailings. During a visit to the property in 1994, water with a pH of 2.8 was observed on the tailings pond and leading toward the auxiliary pond. Analytical results of source samples collected from the property in 1995 and 1999 indicated the presence of arsenic (As), silver (Ag), mercury (Hg), iron (Fe), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and chromium (Cr). Previous investigations of the property include: periodic surface water sampling by the Environmental Improvement Commission (EIC) and ME DEP between 1971 and 1982; a Preliminary Assessment (PA) completed in 1995; a Site Inspection (SI) completed in 1996; and an Expanded Site Inspection (ESI) completed in 1999.
An estimated 2,565 people are served by public and private groundwater drinking water supply wells located within 4-radial miles of the property. The nearest public drinking water supply well is located between 1- and 2-radial miles of the property. The nearest private groundwater drinking water supply well is located approximately 0.2 miles east of the property. Groundwater occurs in overburden at a depth of between approximately 0 and 28 feet (ft) below ground surface, and is expected to flow northwest to Carleton Stream or Second Pond. Analytical results of groundwater samples collected in 1995 from two on-site monitoring wells located in the vicinity of the former tailings ponds have indicated the presence of metals, including Cd, Ag, Cr, Zn, Pb, barium (Ba), and Cu below State Drinking Water Standards. Based on the proximity of nearby groundwater drinking water supply wells to the property, and groundwater flow direction, no impacts to nearby groundwater drinking water supply sources are suspected.
Stormwater runoff from the property is expected to enter on-site culverts or drainage ditches that discharge to Second Pond or Carlton Stream. Additional surface water bodies located along the 15-mile downstream surface water pathway include First Pond, Salt Pond, Blue Hill Bay, East Penobscot Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. No known surface water drinking water intakes are located along the surface water pathway. All water bodies located along the 15-mile downstream surface water pathway are recreational fisheries. Sensitive environments located along the 15-mile downstream surface water pathway include a Clean Water Act (CWA)-protected water body, approximately 4.35 miles of wetland frontage, a Federally-listed threatened/endangered species habitat, a national park, and coastal zone management areas. Analytical results of surface water and sediment samples collected in 1999 from the surface water pathway as far as Salt Pond have indicated the presence of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Hg, nickel (Ni), Ag, and Zn. Based on analytical results, impacts to a CWA-protected water body, fisheries, and wetlands as far downstream as Salt Pond have been documented.
No full-time employees currently work on the property. An estimated 113 people reside within 1-radial mile of the property. No residences, schools, or day-care facilities are located within 200 ft of the property. The nearest residence is located approximately 0.1 miles east of the property. No known terrestrial sensitive environments are located on the property. Pedestrian access to the property is unrestricted. Analytical results of surface soil samples collected from the property in 1999 as part of the ESI indicated the presence of Cd, Cu, Ag, and Zn. Potential impacts to nearby residential population are unknown.
An estimated 2,565 people reside within 4-radial miles of the property. A CWA-protected water body and wetlands are located within 4-radial miles of the property. No laboratory qualitative air samples are known to have been collected from the property. Based on available data, no impacts to nearby residential population or sensitive environments from an unregulated release to air from the property are known or suspected.
Current Status
The last known action at the property was the ESI completed in 1999. ME DEP informed the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a letter dated 20 March 2000 that Noranda, a Canadian mining company and a potentially responsible party, had agreed to an Administrative Order by Consent to investigate and remediate on-site contamination. ME DEP also requested to postpone the Sites Awaiting National Priorities Listing Decision (SAND) process to a later date.
Photos
Links to Other Information
Public Record Locations
EPA New England Records Center, One Congress Street, Boston, MA 02114 (617) 918-1440
Contacts
| Gerardo Millán-Ramos |
| Site Assessment Manager |
| Address: | One Congress Street, Suite 1100 (HBS)
Boston, MA 02114-2023 |
| Phone #: | 617-918-1377 |
| E-Mail Address: | millan-ramos.gerardo@epa.gov |
|