The Rio Tinto Mine: A volunteer clean-up success story

Underground copper mining at the Rio Tinto mine in northern Nevada commenced in 1932 and continued intermittently for approximately forty years. Since 1975 the site has been essentially inactive. Mine operations included placement of tailings generated from ore processing in the Mill Creek drainage. In 1993, due to concerns about environmental damage to surrounding surface waters, four of the previous owners and operators of the site jointly formed the Rio Tinto Working Group (RTWG) to remediate the site in cooperation with the State of Nevada, Department of Conservation and Natural Resource and the Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). The Rio Tinto Working Group consists of the Atlantic Richfield Company, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, and Cominco American Inc., The regulatory and technical approach taken by the RTWG to achieve their objective of proactively implementing remedial measures at the site, rather than following the CERCLA process, are discussed. The steps included preparing an 18-element remedial program to be completed at the site and negotiating an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the State of Nevada, which included a deferral from EPA for listing of the site on the NPL list. By entering into a cooperative relationshipmore » with the NDEP and avoiding the CERCLA process, the Rio Tinto Working Group was able to fast track site investigation and remedial designs, leading to a timely start up of remedial construction activities.« less