Elem Pomo Tribe/Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine, Clear Lake, California

Mt. Konocti & Rattlesnake Island

(Elem Pomo Tribal Land) at Clear Lake (1998)

Site Overview

Site Location

Clear Lake, California, approximately 125 miles north of San Francisco

Site Description

Elem Pomo Tribe is one of six Pomo Bands located in Lake County and one of 20 federally recognized Pomo Tribes existing in the State of California. According to Elem Pomo Tribal Oral Tradition, Southeastern Pomo Nations (Cigain, Elem, Koi and Komdot) were governed by a matriarchal society in the Clear Lake region for 4,000- 8,000 years. They led subsistence lifestyles within aboriginal boundaries that covered 50 miles of lakeshore, including Rattlesnake Island and Turtle Bay Wetlands. Colonization by Spanish, Russian and American immigrants culminated in the 1850’s during the California Gold Rush, resulting in loss of lives, land, and resources. Although the Elem Pomo population and cultural viability was severely abridged during colonial invasions, the surviving oral tradition, customs, cultural practices and existing remnants of the Hokan language reflect the close relationship that the Indigenous Pomo Tribe hold to their place of origin at Clear Lake.

Elem Indian Colony is a 50 acre parcel of land situated on the Eastern shore of Clear Lake, and provides residence for a significant percentage of enrolled Elem Pomo Tribal members. Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine (SBMM) operated periodically from 1867-1957 and is contained within the Elem Pomo Tribal aboriginal lands. The Elem Indian Colony is located directly adjacent to the abandoned mercury mine. The Elem Pomo Tribe is impacted by mercury and other heavy metal contaminants from the mine that are affecting human health and environment, as well as the political, social, economic and cultural aspects of tribal subsistence and cultural lifestyles.

Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine (SBMM) was listed as a National Priority List (NPL) site in 1990 to address mercury releases into Clear Lake. The 220-acre site includes Herman Pit, mercury tailings, ore piles (47 thousand tons), mine waste rock (4 million tons) and the waste rock dam (1.3 million tons). Since the Superfund site listing, EPA conducted numerous studies to understand the type of media (air, water, soils and sediments) that are impacted, as well as existing levels and transport of contamination. Herman Pit contains mercury-rich acid mine drainage water, which surmounted by the geothermal complexities of the surrounding Mt. Konocti region generates a major source of mercury flowing into the lake, distressing the Clear Lake and Cache Creek watersheds. The EPA cleanup approach for SBMM is staged in three phases. Progress of SBMM Superfund cleanup activities, as of Oct. 2006 is summarized below:

Elem Indian Colony Cleanup completed Oct. 2006 – focused on protecting health of human residents
Operable Unit #1: Remedial Investigation (scientific studies) finalized in 2002; Feasability Study (cleanup alternatives) in progress- addresses cleanup of Herman Pit and mine waste piles to protect mine site visitor health and control mercury releases to Clear Lake
Operable Unit #2: Remedial Investigation (scientific studies) in progress- protect Clear Lake water quality, restore ecosystem health and potentially address Elem Pomo Tribal subsistence lifestyle mercury risk exposure concerns

Herman Pit Seeps through Waste Rock Dam into Clear Lake beyond (Oct. 2006)

Organization Requesting Assistance

Elem Pomo Tribe Environmental Department

Beginning Date of Assistance

January 1999

Herman Pit & Waste Rock Piles Impact Turtle Bay Wetlands to North (Oct. 2006)

Summary of TOSNAC Assistance

The Elem Pomo Tribe identified outreach needs related to cultural and subsistence lifestyle concerns, which were included in tribal training and educational materials about Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine (SBMM) contaminant concerns and EPA scientific studies. The TOSNAC Program Manager, Brenda Brandon, worked together with Elem Pomo Tribal community leaders to develop and deliver educational material related to SBMM investigations and to address long-term risk management and contaminant concerns. Technical outreach for Elem Pomo Tribe took place through collaborative efforts with Elem Pomo Tribal Environmental Department, environmental experts elected by the tribe to represent community interests, and TOSNAC/TOSC program representatives from Haskell Indian Nations, Kansas State, Oregon State, and Montana Tech Universities.

Superfund outreach included coordination with the Hinthil Environmental Resource Consortium (HERC), as well as Robinson Rancheria and Big Valley Rancheria Environmental Programs, which sponsored Lake County Pomo Tribal community training and outreach events related to SBMM and mercury exposure risk concerns. The HERC advisory members are represented by environmental directors of six mercury-impacted tribes in the Clear Lake drainage basin, including the Elem Pomo Tribe, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, Robinson Rancheria Tribe of Pomo Indians, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. The HERC serves as a mechanism for tribes to organize efforts and address environmental and health concerns, including tribal mercury exposures in the Clear Lake and Cache Creek watersheds.

TOSNAC/TOC personnel have visited the site to present information about the SBMM Superfund and community involvement process, human health and ecological risk assessments, Remedial Investigation (RI) and Draft Feasibility Study (FS). They have also consulted by telephone with tribal representatives and EPA Region 9 Community Involvement Coordinators and Remediation Program Managers. Support also included input on cultural risk assessment and management aspects of the EPA studies, as well as other federal and state watershed project studies related to mercury contaminants in Clear Lake.

The TOSNAC Program Manager and Elem Pomo Tribe designed a culturally-responsive tribal environmental justice outreach framework that includes integration of educational material related to risk assessment/ management, community participation and evaluation processes delivered during Superfund and mercury trainings in October 2003, April 2005 and March 2007. A toxicologist with expertise in tribal exposures to heavy metals contaminants was involved early in the outreach process to help build Elem Pomo Tribal community capacity to address subsistence risk exposure concerns. The Elem Pomo Tribe uses the western science information to complement traditional ecological knowledge-based systems of understanding in order to implement community-based health risk management strategies that are protective of subsistence and cultural lifestyle practices over the long-term.

Technical specialists and tribal members at Clear Lake

Tribal members work with technical specialists (Oct. 2003)

More details on TOSNAC activities at this site are available in Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Outreach Timeline and TOSNAC Strategies for Elem Pomo Tribe Outreach

TOSNAC Outreach Events- SBMM and Mercury

July 18- 20, 2007 - “Women’s Voice: Visions of Health Talking Circles,” outreach booth at the 7th Annual Tule Boat Festival, hosted by Big Valley Rancheria EPA, Lakeport, CA. Collaborators: Ray Brown Jr. and Mike Schaver (Elem Pomo Tribe EPA), Sarah Ryan (Big Valley EPA), Sherri Norris (California Indian Environmental Alliance), Pui Man Wong (EPA Region 9) and Brenda Brandon (TOSNAC).

March 13, 2007- “Lake County Pomo Tribal Superfund Workshop I: Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Remedial Science and Health Concerns,” hosted by Big Valley Rancheria, Lakeport, CA. Collaborators: Ray Brown Jr. (Elem Pomo Tribe EPA), Pui Man Wong (EPA Region 9), Michael Fernandez (Oregon State Univ.), Dr. Sabine Martin (Kansas State Univ.), Brenda Brandon (TOSNAC) and Dr. Dietrick McGinnis (C.L.E.A.N.).

October 17, 2003 – “Lake County Pomo Tribal Environmental Justice, Mercury and Fish Consumption Forum,” Robinson Rancheria, Nice, CA. Collaborative training, organized by CALFED Bay Delta Program and Robinson Rancheria Environmental Center. TOSNAC participants: Brenda Brandon, Barb Johnson (Kansas State Univ.) and Dr. Jeffery Hall (Utah State Univ.).

Elem EPA Directors look forward to Mine Site Cleanup (March, 2007)

TOSNAC Review & Written Comments for EPA SBMM Documents

October, 2006 – Public Review Draft of SBMM Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for Operable Unit 1 (OU-1), August 2006. Contributors: Brenda Brandon, Michael Fernandez (Oregon State), Kevin Mellott (Montana Tech Univ.), Dr. Sabine Martin and Blase Leven (Kansas State Univ.).

June, 2005 – Soil Sampling Technical Memorandum: The Elem Indian Colony Adjacent to the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund Site, Clearlake, California, April 2005. Contributors: Dr. Sabine Martin, Brenda Brandon and Dr. Jeffery Hall (Utah State Univ.).

February, 2002 – SBMM Geological Materials Sampling Investigation of the Rancheria of Elem Tribal Colony, Field Sampling Plan and Quality Assurance Project Plan Addendum, January 2002. Contributors: Michael Fernandez, Brenda Brandon and Dr. Michael Lambert (Kansas State Univ.).

November, 2001 – SBMM Draft Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study, July 2001. Contributors: Michael Fernandez and Brenda Brandon.

May, 2001- Elem Pomo Tribal Community Involvement Communication Plan for SBMM, May, 30, 2001. Contributors: Michael Fernandez and Brenda Brandon.

Mine Salt Deposits at Lakeshore - Threat to Elem Food Resources