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MINING ENGINEER ASKED IF DRAINAGE MIGHT HAVE BEEN NATURALLY ACIDIC BEFORE ANY MINING OR <br />SETTLEMENT TOOK PLACE IN THE AREA. IF THIS IS THE CASE, HE ASKED WHETHER CLEANUP STANDARDS MIGHT <br />EXCEED PREVIOUSLY NATURAL CONDITIONS. HE ALSO ASKED WHETHER IMPROVEMENTS TO WATER QUALITY FROM <br />CLEANUP EFFORTS AT THE FIVE MINE PROPERTIES WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO MEASURE BECAUSE OF THE <br />ENSIVE OVERALL CONTAMINATION IN THE REGION THAT CONTINUALLY ENTERS THE CREEKS FROM MANY OTHER <br />RCES. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA AND THE STATE ARE CURRENTLY EVALUATING THESE ISSUES TO DETERMINE THE <br />OVERALL EFFECT OF CLEANUP OF THE CLEAR CREEK/CENTRAL CITY SITE GIVEN OTHER POSSIBLE SOURCES OF <br />CONTAMINANTS. INFORMATION REGARDING COMPARATIVE VOLUMES OF MINING WASTE AND DISTURBED LANDS WAS <br />INCLUDED IN THE FS REPORT AND THE PROPOSED PLAN TO INDICATE THAT THESE ISSUES ARE BEING <br />CONSIDERED. THE CLEANUP EFFORTS CURRENTLY PROPOSED AND SELECTED IN OPERABLE UNITS ONE AND TWO <br />WILL RESULT IN A DISTINCT AND MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENT IN WATER QUALITY. <br />COMMENT: ONE COMMENTER EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT A STUDY OF THE TOTAL EFFECTS OF SUPERFUND CLEANUP <br />ON THE AREA HAS NOT BEEN DONE. AS AN EXAMPLE, THIS COMMENTER QUESTIONED IF A DECREASE IN <br />MINERALS IN THE CREEK MIGHT ADVERSELY AFFECT CROPS GROWN DOWNSTREAM AS ALLEGEDLY OCCURRED IN THE <br />ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY WHEN THE ARKANSAS RIVER WAS CLEANED UP SEVERAL YEARS AGO. <br />EPA'S RESPONSE: EPA'S FIRST RESPONSIBILITY UNDER THE SUPERFUND PROGRAM IS TO PROTECT PUBLIC <br />HEALTH AND WELFARE AT DESIGNATED SUPERFUND SITES. ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED <br />THROUGHOUT THE RI/FS PROCESS AT THE CLEAR CREEK/CENTRAL CITY SITE. AS NOTED ABOVE, EPA IS <br />CURRENTLY CONSIDERING THE ISSUES OF NATURAL CONTAMINATION AND CONTAMINATION FROM OTHER SOURCES, <br />AS WELL AS THE QUESTION ABOUT THE OVERALL EFFECT OF CLEANUP EFFORTS. SPA'S STUDIES WILL NOT <br />INCLUDE A TOTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE ENTIRE CLEAR CREEK DRAINAGE, HOWEVER. <br />COMMENT: THE ISSUE OF BLOWOUT CONTROL WAS RAISED BY SEVERAL COMMENTERS. IN PARTICULAR, A <br />MINING ENGINEER COMMENTED IN A LETTER READ AT THE NOVEMBER 24, 1987 PUBLIC MEETING ON THE <br />POSSIBILITY OF BLOWOUT AT THE ARGO TUNNEL, THE INADVISABILITY OF PLUGGING THE PORTAL AND THE <br />IMPORTANCE OF REOPENING THE TUNNEL. THIS COMMENTER ADVISED THAT THE TUNNELS BE CLEANED OUT, THE <br />0ER BE DIVERTED, AND THE WATER CHANNELS BE GROUTED TO BRING THE MINE BACK INTO PRODUCTION. <br />EPA's RESPONSE: EPA HAS INITIATED A STUDY OF BLOWOUT CONTROL. A DRAFT FS REPORT ON BLOWOUT <br />CONTROL WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW IN JULY 1988. EPA WILL CONSIDER THE COMMENTER'S <br />RECOMMENDATIONS DURING THIS STUDY. <br />0