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Property Details for Nevada City - 16053 Old Downieville Highway


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Profile Information

Private
235460
16053 Old Downieville Highway NEVADA CITY, CA 95959
32
05-100-69-000 and a portion of APN 05-100-97-000
39.2611813 / -121.0415588
3
Byous, Eric
Byous.Eric@epa.gov
415-972-3531


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Property Location



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Property Progress


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CAs Associated with this Property

CA NameCA #StateTypeAnnouncement Year
R9 TBA - California (STAG Funded)n/aCATBA2004


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Assessment Activities at this Property

ActivityEPA FundingStart DateCompletion DateCAAccomplishment Counted?Counted When?
Phase I Environmental Assessment$10,000.0011/04/201505/31/2018R9 TBA - California (STAG Funded)YFY18
Phase II Environmental Assessment$102,661.0011/04/201505/31/2018R9 TBA - California (STAG Funded)N


Is Cleanup Necessary? Yes
EPA Assessment Funding: $112,661.00
Leveraged Funding:
Total Funding: $112,661.00


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Climate Adaption and Mitigation - Planning or Assessment

There is no data for Climate Adaption and Mitigation - Planning or Assessment.


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Contaminants and Media


Arsenic
Lead
Mercury
Other Metals
NOT Cleaned up
NOT Cleaned up
NOT Cleaned up
NOT Cleaned up
Soil
NOT Cleaned up


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Cleanup Activities

There are no current cleanup activities.


Cleanup/Treatment Implemented:
Cleanup/Treatement Categories:
Addl Cleanup/Treatment info:
Address of Data Source:
Total ACRES Cleaned Up: 32
Number of Cleanup Jobs Leveraged:
EPA Cleanup Funding:
Leveraged Funding:
Cost Share Funding:
Total Funding:


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Climate Adaption and Mitigation - Demolition or Cleanup

There is no data for Climate Adaption and Mitigation - Demolition or Cleanup.


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Institutional and Engineering Controls

No
No


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Redevelopment and Other Leveraged Accomplishments

There are no current redevelopment activities.


Number of Redevelopment Jobs Leveraged:
Actual Acreage of Greenspace Created:
Leveraged Funding:


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Climate Adaption and Mitigation - Redevelopment

There is no data for Climate Adaption and Mitigation – Redevelopment


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Additional Property Attributes

The Site is located on a forested hillside primarily situated on the north bank of Deer Creek just west of Nevada City. The Site is not occupied and no buildings are present. However, the Site is developed with two partly paved roadways, a pedestrian path and associated suspension bridge, and several water pipes. Additionally, WESTON observed numerous remnant mine features, including foundations, walls, pylons, old pipes and debris, and waste material (such as waste rock and tailings). Properties near and adjacent to the Site include rural residences, vacant land, a wastewater treatment plant, and former mine facilities.

Former Use: The former Champion Mine Complex was first developed around 1850 and consisted of hard rock mining operations to extract gold. The operations were later expanded to include stamp mills and a chlorination works for ore processing (The Sierra Fund, 2014). The former Champion Mine Complex included the Champion Mine and Mill, the Wyoming Mill, the Merrifield Mine, the Mountaineer Mill, and eventually the Providence Mine and Mill, all located on the southern portion of the Site. The Champion Mine Complex ceased mining and ore processing activities by the 1930s (The Sierra Fund, 2014). The mine structures at the Site were reportedly dismantled for scrap metal during World War II, and some waste rock was removed from the Site and used as road base for a regional highway in the 1960s. Historical documents indicate both mercury and cyanide were used in ore processing at the Site. The former Wyoming Mill (40-stamp mill); Champion Mine & Mill (30-stamp mill); Merrifield Mine; and Mountaineer Mine & Mill (20-stamp mill) were historically located within the Site boundary along Deer Creek. Processes included milling, amalgamation using potassium or sodium cyanide (gold cyanidation) or mercury, and chlorination. Cyanide plants were located at the Champion, Wyoming, and Mountaineer Mills. Cyanide is a known toxin to human health and the environment and is a common contaminant at properties that conducted ore processing by amalgamation. However, cyanide in soil and water is subject to degradation by volatilization and biodegradation. Any cyanide that was present in Site soils has likely degraded since mining processes at the Site ceased at least 80 years ago. The Site has been vacant since the closure of the Champion Mine Complex in the 1930s. The nearby DCTT Project opened in 2011, and although not currently part of the DCTT Project, the Site has been used as public open space to access two portions of the DCTT located near the east and west Site boundaries.
Industry (32)


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Release 3.0.1.2