BLM closes all public land access at polluted Yerington mine

[NVMojo]

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Citing safety concerns and environmental hazards, federal managers said Wednesday they are banning access to all the public lands that make up nearly half of a large, polluted copper mine in northern Nevada.

The Bureau of Land Management's closure order is the most sweeping U.S. action to date restricting access to the former Anaconda mine covering about 5 square miles bordering Yerington.

It will remain in place while Atlantic Richfield Co. assesses the extent of contamination under a new cleanup order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, BLM said.

"Until testing is completed and hazards are removed it is necessary to close the entire site to public use," BLM site manager Craig Smith said.

Recent tests show unusually high levels of uranium in the soils in the area where chemicals were used to process the copper for decades.

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/apr/20/042010021.html