Plans to Clean Up Mines on Prince of Wales Island

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by Steve Brawn
by The Juneau Empire

Story Created: Jul 21, 2009 at 11:06 AM AKST

Story Updated: Oct 13, 2010 at 4:51 AM AKST

Officials are starting to make progress cleaning up contamination from two old mines on Prince of Wales Island near Ketchikan.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to list the Salt Chuck
mine as a Superfund cleanup site. The Forest Service has received
$1.4 million in federal stimulus money and Gov. Sarah Palin's
administration said Friday it wouldn't object to the listing.

The copper mine about 40 miles northwest of Ketchikan opened in 1906 and miners dumped waste rock in the intertidal zone.

The Juneau Empire reports the other mine is the Bokan Mountain uranium mine 38 miles southwest of Ketchikan where the Forest Service has posted signs warning people not to camp. Newmont Exploration Ltd. is responsible for cleanup.

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