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Monday afternoon update: Toxic legacy lingers from Bay Area ghost town

Posted by: Maven on June 15, 2009 at 3:13 pm

From KTVU-TV:

Just south of the San Francisco Bay Area, a forgotten ghost town is drawing a handful of people mining what may be the rarest gemstone on earth, but is also awash in a highly toxic heavy metal that can wash down into California rivers and San Francisco Bay.

New Idria is the name of the remote abandoned mining town about 60 miles south by southeast of Hollister. For almost 150 years hundreds of men labored to haul out mercury, which was initially used to separate gold ore by the 49ers.

The mines – and the town – were abandoned a generation ago, but high levels of mercury are now gushing out of the more than 80 miles of tunnels. During wet years the toxic waters flow into the San Joaquin River, which drains into the Delta and then the Bay.

Read more and watch the newscast from KTVU by clicking here.

Photo credit: Picture of polluted waste water pool at New Idria by flickr photographer mlhradio. Plenty more pictures of New Idria in mlhradio’s photostream.)

June 15, 2009 · Filed Under Water Quality

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