BLM studies Rand arsenic
By LINDA SAHOLT
News Review Staff Writer
A project to study and remediate arsenic levels in the Rand Historic Mining Complex may result in more cleanup
requirements than the current Bureau of Land Management staff can handle, according to BLM officials who
addressed questions raised by about 30 people at a Jan. 22 open house in the Johannesburg Community Center.
The district, which includes Randsburg, Johannesburg, Red Mountain and Atolia, has been the scene of mining
activity since the 1890s, with chemicals a big part of the techniques used to extract gold and other minerals.
Today, while most mining activity in the Rand area has ceased, the federal government is requiring BLM to come
up with data on the cumulative environmental impacts, from abandoned mine shafts to waste piles to areas
showing elevated arsenic concentrations. The goal is to determine whether a threat exists and what options are
available for remediation.
The Jan. 22 event was part of several open-house forums to be held in our area, with the next one set for May.
The meetings are designed for two-way communication and to keep concerned residents advised of the latest
developments in the study.
“You people have an input in this, and we want to hear from you what you want us to do,” said Richard “Dick”
Forester, BLM project manager at the state level.
While BLM is the lead agency in the project, other groups including the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry have been called in to add their expertise. The ATSDR is taking samples to evaluate and
determine risk assessments.
Students from Chapman Uni-versity, under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Kim, assistant chemistry
professor, are involved in doing the field research.
“We’re taking background samples, like mine tailings, waste rock, downstream washes and house lot soil. We
have to take hundreds of samples.
“I know it’s frustrating because we can’t give you as much information yet as you’d like,” said Kim.
“My students are likely to be out roaming around taking samples. Please don’t shoot them.”
“The arsenic readings are cause for concern by EPA standards,” said Forester. “The EPA’s standard for [safe
level of] arsenic is 1.039 parts per million. We have found levels up to 8,000 p.p.m. at the Kelly Mine, and 16,000 p.p.
m. north and west of Randsburg.
“We need to find the best way to remediate so the area is safe for people who live and recreate there. We’re
doing risk assessments for human health and environmental concerns before taking action.
“There is no cause for panic. We don’t want anyone running off screaming into the sunset that the sky is falling.”
Forester said these high readings are in specific areas and may not necessarily represent an overall hazard.
“As far as the residents go, some of this material is right in their backyards. Some are concerned that their
businesses will be negatively affected by the remediation process. No access roads will be closed. In fact, we
routed one road around a known contaminated area and kept the road open.”
Dr. Tonia Burk, ATSDR lead environmental health scientist, said her group plans to have a health consultation
completed by this spring and will present results at the May open house.
According to Villalobos, project leaders hope to have overall results of the study by this summer.
“We need to know how people are exposed, in order to figure out what action is best to take.
“For instance, we have questions about toxicity levels in a home foundation that recently had to be repaired,
about whether that was due to arsenic or other issues,” said Villalobos.
“In the long-term mine cleanup of hazardous conditions, the taxpayers are going to have to fund this somewhere
along the line. If we get it done sooner, it won’t cost the taxpayers so much.
“The federal government has put in place laws governing the cleanup process. Right now, that doesn’t address
dealing with abandoned mine physical features all over the desert.
“This is way more than our current staffing can handle. We’ll have to go back to Sacramento and say we need
more people. We’re looking at half a dozen other hazardous mine sites scattered around the area.
“These are old mines that go back 50 years or more, when there were fewer regulations in place.”
Forester said the university students may be taking biological samples from residents who volunteer for the
process.
“We’re talking about possibly taking hair, blood, or urine samples, probably within one year,” he said. “Your body
cleans arsenic out fairly fast, as long as you’re not living in an area of heavy arsenic concentration.”
“Arsenic is of most concern in the water, and so far the water here is not a problem. Yes, levels are elevated, but
we need to put it all in perspective,” said Scott Sudweeks, ATSDR toxicologist.
“You have to take a hard look first at the data. It may say you don’t need to go further, but we need to take that first
hard look.
“This will come down to a balance between economic viability and environmental requirements.”
Forester said one possibility involves a request for a mining permit submitted by a company that proposes
reworking the old waste pile from the Kelly Mine. If the permit is approved, that company would be responsible for
the cleanup of that mine.
However, the overall cleanup process would need to be adjusted to allow for the ongoing mining operation.
“The mining proposal won’t go forward without public process and environmental assessment,” said Villalobos.
As far as possible options go, Forester said the worst-case scenario would involve a massive project.
“All that contaminated material would have to be moved by the government to a repository, hopefully within 10
miles of here, and treated for eternity,” he said.
“That would be cost prohibitive. Or would it be possible to cap it or otherwise mitigate it?
“As far as a time frame goes, our current guesstimate is six to 12 years, with the 12 years representing if it has to
be moved. The six years would be if we can select an option that is good, that does the job, and is cheaper.”
For more information, call Forester at the Ridgecrest Field Office, 384-5474, or by cellphone at (916) 296-8981.
His Sacramento office number is (916) 978-4376, and his e-mail address is richard_forester @blm.gov.
News Review Staff Writer
A project to study and remediate arsenic levels in the Rand Historic Mining Complex may result in more cleanup
requirements than the current Bureau of Land Management staff can handle, according to BLM officials who
addressed questions raised by about 30 people at a Jan. 22 open house in the Johannesburg Community Center.
The district, which includes Randsburg, Johannesburg, Red Mountain and Atolia, has been the scene of mining
activity since the 1890s, with chemicals a big part of the techniques used to extract gold and other minerals.
Today, while most mining activity in the Rand area has ceased, the federal government is requiring BLM to come
up with data on the cumulative environmental impacts, from abandoned mine shafts to waste piles to areas
showing elevated arsenic concentrations. The goal is to determine whether a threat exists and what options are
available for remediation.
The Jan. 22 event was part of several open-house forums to be held in our area, with the next one set for May.
The meetings are designed for two-way communication and to keep concerned residents advised of the latest
developments in the study.
“You people have an input in this, and we want to hear from you what you want us to do,” said Richard “Dick”
Forester, BLM project manager at the state level.
While BLM is the lead agency in the project, other groups including the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry have been called in to add their expertise. The ATSDR is taking samples to evaluate and
determine risk assessments.
Students from Chapman Uni-versity, under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Kim, assistant chemistry
professor, are involved in doing the field research.
“We’re taking background samples, like mine tailings, waste rock, downstream washes and house lot soil. We
have to take hundreds of samples.
“I know it’s frustrating because we can’t give you as much information yet as you’d like,” said Kim.
“My students are likely to be out roaming around taking samples. Please don’t shoot them.”
“The arsenic readings are cause for concern by EPA standards,” said Forester. “The EPA’s standard for [safe
level of] arsenic is 1.039 parts per million. We have found levels up to 8,000 p.p.m. at the Kelly Mine, and 16,000 p.p.
m. north and west of Randsburg.
“We need to find the best way to remediate so the area is safe for people who live and recreate there. We’re
doing risk assessments for human health and environmental concerns before taking action.
“There is no cause for panic. We don’t want anyone running off screaming into the sunset that the sky is falling.”
Forester said these high readings are in specific areas and may not necessarily represent an overall hazard.
“As far as the residents go, some of this material is right in their backyards. Some are concerned that their
businesses will be negatively affected by the remediation process. No access roads will be closed. In fact, we
routed one road around a known contaminated area and kept the road open.”
Dr. Tonia Burk, ATSDR lead environmental health scientist, said her group plans to have a health consultation
completed by this spring and will present results at the May open house.
According to Villalobos, project leaders hope to have overall results of the study by this summer.
“We need to know how people are exposed, in order to figure out what action is best to take.
“For instance, we have questions about toxicity levels in a home foundation that recently had to be repaired,
about whether that was due to arsenic or other issues,” said Villalobos.
“In the long-term mine cleanup of hazardous conditions, the taxpayers are going to have to fund this somewhere
along the line. If we get it done sooner, it won’t cost the taxpayers so much.
“The federal government has put in place laws governing the cleanup process. Right now, that doesn’t address
dealing with abandoned mine physical features all over the desert.
“This is way more than our current staffing can handle. We’ll have to go back to Sacramento and say we need
more people. We’re looking at half a dozen other hazardous mine sites scattered around the area.
“These are old mines that go back 50 years or more, when there were fewer regulations in place.”
Forester said the university students may be taking biological samples from residents who volunteer for the
process.
“We’re talking about possibly taking hair, blood, or urine samples, probably within one year,” he said. “Your body
cleans arsenic out fairly fast, as long as you’re not living in an area of heavy arsenic concentration.”
“Arsenic is of most concern in the water, and so far the water here is not a problem. Yes, levels are elevated, but
we need to put it all in perspective,” said Scott Sudweeks, ATSDR toxicologist.
“You have to take a hard look first at the data. It may say you don’t need to go further, but we need to take that first
hard look.
“This will come down to a balance between economic viability and environmental requirements.”
Forester said one possibility involves a request for a mining permit submitted by a company that proposes
reworking the old waste pile from the Kelly Mine. If the permit is approved, that company would be responsible for
the cleanup of that mine.
However, the overall cleanup process would need to be adjusted to allow for the ongoing mining operation.
“The mining proposal won’t go forward without public process and environmental assessment,” said Villalobos.
As far as possible options go, Forester said the worst-case scenario would involve a massive project.
“All that contaminated material would have to be moved by the government to a repository, hopefully within 10
miles of here, and treated for eternity,” he said.
“That would be cost prohibitive. Or would it be possible to cap it or otherwise mitigate it?
“As far as a time frame goes, our current guesstimate is six to 12 years, with the 12 years representing if it has to
be moved. The six years would be if we can select an option that is good, that does the job, and is cheaper.”
For more information, call Forester at the Ridgecrest Field Office, 384-5474, or by cellphone at (916) 296-8981.
His Sacramento office number is (916) 978-4376, and his e-mail address is richard_forester @blm.gov.
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