EPA Adds Afterthought Mine in Shasta County, California to the Superfund National Priorities List

EPA Adds Afterthought Mine in Shasta County, California to the Superfund National Priorities List

September 4, 2024

Afterthought Mine operated from 1862 to 1952, producing copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold. Historic mine features and structures remain onsite, and these mining efforts contaminated the site's soil and nearby waterways. Contaminated soil and sediment are in direct contact with Little Cow and Afterthought creeks. Little Cow Creek is used for fishing and provides wetland habitat including critical habitat for steelhead trout.

"Adding Afterthought Mine to the Superfund list will enable EPA to move forward and take on the contamination at the site," said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "Cleaning up the polluted land and water at and around Afterthought Mine, with the goal of returning them for productive use, will be a win for public health and local economies."

EPA proposed adding Afterthought Mine to the Superfund National Priorities List on March 5, 2024, and accepted comments from the public on the proposal March 7 until May 6, 2024.

Background

The NPL includes sites with the nation's most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. This list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at non-federal sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

Before EPA adds a site to the NPL, a site must meet EPA's requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA may add the site to the NPL if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.

Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup. 

Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has followed through on commitments to update the NPL twice a year, as opposed to once per year. Today's announcement is the second time EPA is updating the NPL in 2024.

Learn more about Superfund and the National Priorities List.

Learn about EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook,Instagram,and X.