Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), Region VIII, Molycorp Superfund Site CERCLA, NM 

SUMMIT provided technical oversight for EPA Region VI at a CERCLA molybdenum mine site.  The site consists of an active molybdenum mine and milling facility on land owned by Molycorp.  It also includes a tailings disposal site (tailings ponds) and a tailings pipeline running from the milling facility to the tailings ponds.  Over the years, numerous breaks in the pipeline resulted in the spilling of tailings into and along the flood plain of the Red River.  The site was proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) primarily due to the threat to the Red River fishery and nearby endangered species habitats from uncontrolled acidic, metal-laden runoff and drainage from the mine and the tailings ponds.  Contaminants of concern include metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, and zinc and sulfate.

The scope of services included:

• Identifying, developing, and analyzing program issues
• Preparing and reviewing documentation related to environmental statutes
• Characterizing contaminated sites and waste streams
• Performing risk assessments
• Providing QA/QC oversight
• Conducting stakeholder outreach activities
• Performing cost and schedule analysis 

SUMMIT provided project management and planning services, oversight of field investigations and environmental studies, engineering evaluations, and budget tracking.  SUMMIT provided EPA with:

• Independent assessments of the complex hydrologic regime in fractured flow environment, and interpretation and performance of statistical analysis of geochemical data
• QA/QC oversight of groundwater, sediment, surface water, and soil sampling to ensure compliance with sampling and analysis plans
• Technical oversight of slug, pump, and in situ velocity measurements using colloidal borescope testing
• Technical presentations at public meetings