DARRINGTON — Toxic metals including arsenic, lead and mercury at the old Monte Cristo mining area east of Granite Falls need to be cleaned up, state and federal officials say.
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest rangers and engineers plan to listen to public comment on cleanup options at a meeting set for Monday evening in Darrington.
In the late 1800s, Monte Cristo was at the center of a silver- and gold-mining boom, and it attracted thousands of people to eastern Snohomish County hoping to get rich.
The mines, located near the upper South Fork Sauk River, were shut down in the early 1900s. Though it’s a popular hiking destination near the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness, Monte Cristo remains covered in the hazardous metals that were left from the mining days.
The miners didn’t understand the chemical process and leaching that takes place when material is taken out of the ground and exposed to the air and water, Darrington District Ranger Peter Forbes said.
The fear is that 100-year-old waste is polluting the air, soil and water in the area and downstream. The Forest Service began a federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act investigation in 2002.
“As the landowner, the Forest Service has a responsibility to address the unsafe levels of these toxic metals,” he said.
Cleanup of the mining area could begin as early as next year depending on funding, Forbes said. People have about a month to make their comments known to the Forest Service.
Historians have expressed concerns that cleanup efforts could damage historical, archeological and scenic values, while others have environmental concerns about fish and wildlife, Forbes said.
At the meeting, people can learn why the cleanup is needed and what the alternatives are to get it done, he said.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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