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Public Meeting for Ely Mine Superfund Site in Vershire, VT - Wed. 7/27/11 at 7PM

Release Date: 07/25/2011
Contact Information: Pam Harting-Barrat, (617) 918-1318

(Boston, Mass. – July 25, 2011) – A neighborhood meeting will be held this Wednesday to help Vershire residents learn about a proposed cleanup plan for the Ely Copper Mine Superfund Site.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Vershire Town Center Building, 27 Vershire Center Rd., Vershire, VT 05079.

EPA also intends to hold a formal public hearing, at which residents and other concerned parties may submit comments for the official decision record, on Aug. 25, 2011. The public hearing will also take place at the Vershire Town Center Building, beginning at 7:00 p.m.  At the Aug. 25 hearing, there will be a brief presentation followed by a public hearing to receive public comment on the Proposed Plan.

A 30-day formal public comment period begins on July 28, 2011 and will extend through August 27, 2011. 

The proposed cleanup action is identified as Alternative SC3 in the Operable Unit 1 Feasibility Study for the Ely Copper Mine Site and includes the following:

- Excavation of waste rock, soil, and sediment from the Upper Waste Area, Lower Waste Area, Ely Brook, along with Ponds 4 and 5 and consolidation within a containment cell with a low permeability cover system to be constructed west of Ely Brook within the Site (the West Cell). 
- Excavation of tailings from the Tailings Area, and consolidation within a containment cell with a low permeability cover system to be constructed over the Ore Roast Bed. 
- The cleanup plan also includes land-use restrictions, monitoring, and periodic reviews of the cleanup.

The estimated cost is $18 million. The Proposed Plan also includes a public notice regarding the impact of the cleanup on wetlands.  In addition, EPA proposes to implement an Early Action for Operable Unit 2 which would include land use restrictions to prevent residential use or consumption of groundwater within the OU2 area of the Ely Copper Mine property where contamination is above safe levels.

A copy of the Proposed Plan along with other technical documents related to the Site is available for review at the Vershire Town Office, Town of Vershire, 6894 VT Route 113 Vershire, VT 05079 and the EPA Records Center at 5 Post Office Square, first floor, in Boston, MA (hours: M - F, 10 am to 5 pm).  Copies of the Proposed Plan will be available at both the July 27, 2011 and August 25, 2011 meeting and will also be available on EPA New England’s website: (https://www.epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/ely)

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