What is Superfund?

In December of 1980 Congress passed the Superfund statute as a vehicle to ensure proper cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

More than 25 years later, we are still living with thousands of hazardous waste sites in our communities, both urban and rural. Many of these hazadous waste sites pose an immediate threath to public health.

Communities use Superfund to ensure these sites are identified, added to a national priorities list (NPL), targeted for remediation, and cleaned up.

Public involvement is central to this process. As data is collected it is passed on to the affected residents. Once a remediation plan is produced it is presented in public forums. Citizens oversee all aspects of this process.

Lefthand Creek TAG Coalition, and other citizen groups like it across the country, is the organization that drives this process.

Status of Captain Jack

Captain Jack was originally considered for listing because the mine poses a potential threat to the drinking water of over 18,000 people.

Cleanup of a superfund site is guided by a standard procedure.

First, a prelimanary assessment is conducted. This assessment seeks to identify what potential threats to public health may exist due to site conditions.

Next, the site is "scored." Scoring determines where on the National Priorities List the site will appear. Sites that pose the greatest threats to public health are typically scored highest; giving them greater priority when funds are allocated.

Once an initial sum has been allocated for the site a remedial investigation and feasability study (RI/FS) is conducted. The RI/FS gathers additional data concerning the levels of contamination, potential health impacts to both people and wildlife, history of the area, and begins to propose possible solutions for remediation.

At this point a clearer picture of the site and possible cleanup solutions begins to emergy. This information is then taken to the public for input. This is where we are now with the Captain Jack.

Once we have found an acceptable solution we will move to the design and construction phases. Some sites will require continued follow-up and analysis long after construction has completed.

For more information on Superfund:

• www.epa.gov/superfund