Callahan Mining Corporation is located near a small town in Hancock County, Maine. In the late 1800s, the mining area was discovered and utilized (EPA, n.d.). Between the 1940s and 1950s, a myriad of different ores was discovered within the mining area, from copper to cadmium to zinc (EPA, n.d.). By the late 1960s, dams were erected to drain the nearby estuary for open-pit mining, and from then on continued to function actively until its closure in 1972 (EPA, n.d.).

Throughout its active years, numerous areas of the mining area succumbed to contamination. Waste rock in its tailing impoundments spanned 21 acres and caused the soil in the area to become unsustainable for any plant life to flourish (EPA, n.d.). In addition, PCB contamination occurred in the groundwater and soil in the mining area and the area surrounding it, posing a risk to the small number of homes living in the area (EPA, n.d.). PCB is an unnatural chemical that was widely used until its halt in production in the late 1970s (EPA, n.d.). Potential risks that come from coming in contact with PCB include skin conditions such as acne, nose and lung irritation, anemia, fatigue, depression, and in pregnant women, low birth weight in their children (ATSDR, 2014). It is also considered to be a probable human carcinogen, and more research is being done into its longer-lasting effects (ATSDR, 2014).

In 2004, the EPA stepped in to investigate the area and find potential areas of contamination that are mentioned above. After finding contamination in the surrounding groundwater, they deemed the area to be an active risk to the homes surrounding the area. After successfully implementing a plan for cleanup, the plan initiated in 2010 and has continued over the past 10 years. Some implementations included the construction of a horizontal drain system to lower the water levels in the area and a passive treatment system to filter contaminants present in the water. Cleanup is expected to be completed by this year, while safeguards were put in place to prevent further contamination in the future (EPA, n.d.).

References:

ATSDR. (2014, August 27). Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) | Public Health Statement | ATSDR. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=139&toxid=26

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). CALLAHAN MINING CORP | Superfund Site Profile | Superfund Site Information | US EPA. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0101028#bkground