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Blacksmith Institute Journal of Health & Pollution Vol. 1, No. 1 Feb 2011

Case Study

Introduction

In late 2008 through early 2009Blacksmith Institute, the YunnanEnvironmental Protection Bureau

(YEPB) and other local partnersin Yunnan, collaborated to addresssevere pollution from legacy miningand metal processing facilities inYunnan province, in southern China(see Figure 1). e area is remote andisolated, and the local authoritieslack the experience and resources toaddress the problems. ree villages -in Huaning County, Nan Hua Countyand Wenshan County - were proposedby YEPB because of the uniquecircumstances each site presented

and because these are representativeof numerous, similar problems inthe mountains of Yunnan. Each sitehas abandoned facilities locatedin remote mountain communitieswith owners who cannot easily betraced. Toxic heavy metals, includingarsenic, cadmium and lead, are beingreleased into the local environmentfrom the mine operations, abandoned

Background.ree villages in Yunnan Province were identied to have abandoned arsenic

mines severely contaminating the local water supplies. Other villages in the Province had

similar problems causing the Yunnan Environmental Protection Bureau (YEPB) to seek

assistance in developing a remedial strategy.

Objectives. Identify the immediate hazards, develop practical remedial approaches, with

focus on human health impacts associated with contaminated drinking water. Develop

a blueprint for dealing with other isolated mine pollution problems in the mountains of

Yunnan.

Materials & Methods. A technical team from Blacksmith Institute, TerraGraphics Environmenta

Engineering and Yunnan Environmental Protection Bureau (YEPB) visited the sites and

conducted environmental sampling. TerraGraphics prepared a technical review of each site,

a discussion of human health risks and objectives for remedial actions, using United States

Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidance for waste site evaluations. From the

recommended interventions for each site, YEPB selected a site for construction remediation.

Results. Samples of wastes, soils and water indicated high metals contamination at all three

sites. e closed arsenic renery in Wenshan County was selected for a demonstrationcleanup

project. Subsequent analyses showed signicant improvements in metals levels andachievemen

of remedial objectives. e site is recognized as a model for other mining sites in Yunnan.

Conclusions.e success of the demonstration project was recognized and has provided

direction and momentum for a wider eort by the Province to address mining pollution

and water contamination challenges. It demonstrates the success of using known techniques

for environmental remediation in the US, with local partners in China responding to their

communities health and environmental problems.

Keywords. arsenic contamination, water supply, China, Yunnan, mining.

J Health Pollution 1:26-35 (2011)

processing facilities, and insecuretailings ponds and heaps. Yunnanswet season, that accounts for morethan 80% of the annual precipitation(1,759 mm mean), with majorstorms, ooding and erosion, causescontaminant runointo local water

supplies and river systems. eproject objective was to developpractical remedial approaches for the3 villages, and provide models forsimilar mountain villages. e focuswas on stabilizing collapsing ponds,consolidating wastes (that were beingsalvaged) into a repository in orderto prevent further contaminationof the water supply. TerraGraphics

Environmental Engineering usedUnited States EnvironmentalProtection Agency (USEPA) guidanceto develop and propose remediationplans and stabilization and excavationactions to reduce runointo the riversand agricultural elds.

Materials and Methods

e resulting site assessments includedcharacterization of contaminationlevels, feasibility of implementation,and the prognosis for sustainabilityof various remedies for each of thethree locations. e project wasstructured to provide direction

Remediation of Legacy Arsenic Mining Areas

in Yunnan Province, China

Ian H. von Lindern,1 David

Hanrahan,2 Margrit von Braun1

1 TerraGraphics Environmental

Engineering

2 Blacksmith Institute

Corresponding Author:

Ian von Lindern

TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering

S. Jackson Street

Moscow, Idaho

USA

Tel: --

[email protected]

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Case Study

measures, and development of acomprehensive program by YEPBto address similar sites in theProvince.

Results

A comprehensive and detailedtechnical report was prepared byTerraGraphics and shared with YEPBand local authorities.e reportpresented a technical review of eachsite, and assessment and discussion ofhuman health risks and objectives forremedial actions. Recommendationsfor practical interventions wereaddressed, including preliminary costs,

for each site. is report provides notonly an analysis for each of the threeareas, but also a blueprint for dealingwith the other isolated mine pollutionproblems in the mountains of Yunnan.

Huaning Mining/Smelting WasteRecovery and Recycling Plant:

is factory-recovered zinc oxidefrom mine and smelter waste througha rotary kiln fuming process. Largeresidues of ash and slag accumulated

around the plant during its operationalhistory. Yunnan ocials had earlierbeen informed that the plant wasclosed, however there was evidencethat the site was in use for reprocessingat the time of TerraGraphics visit. esize of the residue piles had increasednoticeably, new equipment had beeninstalled and the kiln was still warmat the time of the visit, indicating recentoperation. e site could no longer beconsidered abandoned and initial plansfor intervention had to be reconsidered.

Table 1 shows 0.3% lead and 1% zincin the pond sediments (bulk XRF).Analysis of the nes screened fromthese samples showed 171 - 413 mg/kgarsenic, 321 m/kg cadmium and 0.7%lead.

Water-related contaminant transportwas occurring on the downhill

slopes from the ash dumps. eproperty abuts agricultural lands onthe remaining sides and no accesscontrols are evident to restrict entryor trespass from those directions.Ash was noted in the eld adjacentto the water holding ponds. ere issignicant possibility of catastrophicfailure of the makeshi holdingpond and release of massive loads ofaccumulated contaminated sedimentsto the lower drainage. Leaching of

contaminants to the lower drainageand contamination of groundwaterare also possible. e accumulationof large ash dumps on-site representsa potential human health exposureand threat of contaminant migrationto the lower valley. is couldoccurthrough runo, leaching, ormechanical movement via windor sloughing. Catastrophic failureis a long-term consideration.emore recent promiscuous dumpingpresents additional problems. ese

materials are not being depositedin any organized or logical fashionand will have to be reshaped orrelocated in the future. e varietyof ash characteristics in the morerecent dumps suggests that someexperimental batch operations havebeen undertaken.is could result inash products of varying toxicity, leachatepotential, and stability characteristics.

Principal human health risks atHuaning:r On-site residue storage poses

continued threat of contaminantmigration (runo, leaching, wind/sloughing)

r Failure of the dumps and makeshisludge pond resulting in transportdown the drainage

r Ingestion of sediments erodingfrom site

r Direct contact with site wastesr

Consumption of contaminatedwaterr Inhalation of airborne particulates

Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs) forHuaning:r Stabilize on-site wastes to prevent

contaminant migrationr Develop source controls

to minimize leaching intogroundwater

r Establish on-site controls tominimize exposures during

operationr Investigate secondary uses for

ash product as an aggregateamendment

r Establish adequate disposal facilitiesto permanently retain the ash

r O-site: determine degree ofo-site contamination; includesampling and exposure assessments

Figure 2 Dam at Nan Hua Site

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Case Study Remediation of Legacy Arsenic Mining Areas in Yunnan Province, China

Nan Hua Arsenic Mining andSmelting Site:is is a former arsenic trioxide mineand processing plant that closed in2000 (Figure 2). An estimated 50,000tons of arsenic residue and 500 tonsof rock remain on the site, coveringan area of around 53,000 m2. esite is located at the head of a valleyabout 5 kilometers (km) upstreamfrom the nearest village. Access tothe site is not restricted. e waste

piles were unstable and their collapsecould easily release toxic materialsinto the local water supply. In October2004, residents from Long Tan Village(population about 1400) transportedresidue by trucks and dumped itoutside the local government oceto protest the pollution caused by thewaste remaining at the site.

Several of these waste areas weresampled and all were severelycontaminated. Table 2 summarizesthe contamination results by bothbulk sample XRF and 35%

160000

1800

1800

2600

3700

83000

95

3700

1700

2900

2000

2000

600

520

280

N/A

5700

150

180

220

300

9800

72

280

540

590

860

1300

1200

660

200

N/A

2000

2400

3400

2000

2200

3300

2400

5900

710

920

540

1300

700

850

920

N/A

2600

6700

7300

2700

4100

2100

17000

110000

32000

35000

34000

39000

74000

30000

83000

N/A

100000

270000

230000

560000

270000

240000

5.7

160

550

420

520

690

330

260

120

N/A

350

BD

BD

21

76

190

310

10000

10000

15000

21000

11000

3200

3500

790

N/A

1000

23000

32000

4900

15000

2300

Residue large slag pile

Residue slag ponding area

Residue/smelter bottom ash

Residue/smelter bottom ash

Reject ore dump

Hoist area soil

Crusher area soil

Parking area soil

Factory entrance soil

Composite furnace material

Composite furnace material

Surface composite small pond

Surface composite large pond

Surface composite below dam

Lower road soil composite

Rubble composite soil

LocationSample

Huaning Site

HU-R-01

HU-R-03

Nan Hua Site

HU-R-02

HU-R-02R

NA-S-01

NA-S-03

NA-S-04

NA-S-05

NA-S-06

Wenshan Site

WS-2-06

WS-3-07

WS-R-02

WS-R-03

WS-R-04

WS-S-01

WS-S-05

Lab Results, EPA 6020A

(mg/kg)

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erosion in upper sections are a largecontributor to the material collectingbehind the dam.

Furnace residues were collectedfrom beneath the furnaces and weredumped down slope across the mainentry road from the smelter.ismaterial was sampled and shows8.9% and 9.5% arsenic for the residuefrom the smelter bottom ash and areplicate sample. e material hasbeen subject to pyro-metallurgicalprocesses, is likely oxidized, has ashlike constituency with large amountsofnes and is highly toxic. ese

residues are located on a steep slope(>30o) and are subject to both windand water erosion.

e Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs)for Nan Hua were:

r Stabilize on-site wastes to precludeo-site migration of contaminants(includes measures to preventcatastrophic dam failure)

r Develop appropriate sourcecontrols to minimize leaching ofarsenic to surface and groundwater.

is includes capping of waste piles,repositories, and contaminatedprocess areas and diversion ofsurface waters from repositoriesand dust caps.

r Establish appropriate InstitutionalControls to prevent unauthorizedaccess, salvage and scavenging.

r O-site actions: Determine thedegree and extent of o-sitecontamination and exposureto human populations; includesampling of o-site environmental

media and assessment of exposuresand, potential absorption by thelocal population.

e principal health risks at Nan Huawere:r Catastrophic failure of the lower damr Ingestion of sediments eroding

from the siter Direct contact with site wastes

r Consumption of contaminatedwaterr Inhalation of airborne particulate

Remediation options suggestedby TerraGraphics (TG) includedstabilizing existing waste piles usinglocal clay and gravel sources and theexcavation and armoring of diversionchannels to prevent further erosionduring the rainy season.

Wenshan Arsenic Renery Complex(Plants 1-4):

is site is an extensive former miningcomplex, consisting of four arsenicprocessing plants several kilometers

apart (Figures 3-6). e complexwas operational from 1958-2004 inWenshan County. Wenshan Site 4 isthe original factory opened in 958. Itemployed a beehive kiln technologyin which the kilns were charged withore and charcoal and were red inbatch operations. Oxidized arsenicfume was recovered from coolingchambers and residues were shoveled

I III IIIII IIIIV IVV V

Sample

Data

Drinking

Water

0.05

0.01

0.05

0.01

0.001

0.05

0.01

0.1

1.0

0.005

6 - 9

0.05

0.05

0.1

1.0

0.005

0.3

0.1

0.1

0.05

2.0

1.0

0.005

0.1

0.1

2.0

1.0

0.01

0.005

0.005

0.05

0.01

0.0001

0.1

0.05

6.5 - 8.55

0.01

0.01

0.5

0.05

0.001

0.2

0.05

0.05

0.05

1.0

1.0

0.01

0.3

0.1

5.5-6.5,8.5-9

0.05

0.1

5.0

1.5

0.01

1.5

1.0

9

>0.05

>0.1

>5.0

>1.5

>0.01

>1.5

>1.0

mg/l

mg/l

mg/l

mg/l

mg/l

mg/l

mg/l

mg/l

s/cm

8,24

72,46

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Case Study

from the kilns and dumped over thehillside next to the parking lot. About60,000 tons of residue are estimatedfor this dumpsite. e factory suppliedarsenic trioxide (As2O3) for poisongas weapons with an original capacityof 300 tons/yr As2O3. Other productlines and more modern technology,principally to serve the pesticidemarket, were added and by 1987capacity had increased to 2000 tons/

yr As2O3. In 1987, the facility wasexpanded to include metallic arsenicproduction. From 1987 to 2003annual production was 3000 tons/yr of As

2O

3and 600 TPY of metallic

arsenic. In 2002 the surrounding areawas designated a national biodiversityreserve and the county governmentordered the factory to be relocated.However, the accumulated waste fromover 40 years of smelting operationsremained on site and continued tothreaten the local environment.

Following the failure of a tailingspond in 2000, a joint team from thePrefecture EPB and Water ResourcesBureau, undertook limited eorts tostabilize the residues by constructing aretaining dam. e initial work was inresponse to an incident that occurredaer local heavy rains. e site islocated on the top of a mountain with

numerous terraced agricultural ponds(largely rice elds) located down thehillside. Water from the upper pondssequentially discharges downhill to thenext pond for more than 5 kilometersproviding water to hundreds of villagefarms. When the dam burst in 2000,arsenic residues entered the uppermostterraces and proceeded downhillseverely impacting dozens of theterraced farms, killing 27 water bualo.

Testing of local streams that provideirrigation water for several hundredfarms, showed more than 1.0 mg/larsenic. e rice paddies downstreamwould have been particularly aectedas rice accumulates arsenic from waterand soil and is a staple food in thisregion. Although acute eects from thisincident in the local human populationwere likely, they were unrecorded dueto a lack of fundamental environmentalhealth monitoring in the area.

Various waste materials are foundthroughout the site. ese can begenerally categorized as i) buildingsand structures, ii) contaminatedprocess areas, iii) waste water ponds,and iv) residue ponds. Several of thesewaste areas were sampled and allwere severely contaminated. Table 1summarizes the bulk XRF and sievedsample results. Table 3 contains results

from extraction tests conducted forthe Wenshan County MonitoringStation. ese results indicate thewaste materials are capable of releasingsignicant amounts of arsenic tosurface and groundwater. Many of thesamples collected show extremely higharsenic concentrations, are corrosivein nature, and should be consideredhazardous and extremely toxic.Product material collected from within

the furnaces at Wenshan Site 2 rangedfrom 16% to in excess of 30% arsenicby XRF, indicating severe potentialhazards associated with any salvage ordemolition activities. Contaminatedprocess areas at Wenshan Site 1include the road surfaces, plant areasand furnace line areas, the mainparking lot and the numerous rubblepiles throughout the area. Processarea soils associated with the rubble inthe old furnace line areas showed 8%arsenic for bulk soil XRF analysis. Zinc

concentrations ran to 2% with lead ashigh as 1%. All of the road, processand parking lot surfaces are aggradedand contain signicant amounts ofnes. Samples in these areas showed1800 to 3700 mg/kg arsenic and .5%to 3.2% zinc. All samples showedsignicant iron content ranging to10%-51%. Furnace residues collectedfrom Wenshan Site 2 contained more

Remediation of Legacy Arsenic Mining Areas in Yunnan Province, China

Figure 4 Factory at WenshanFigure 3 Surrounding Area, Wenshan Site

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than 30% arsenic. ese are extremelydangerous levels of arsenic in its mosttoxic form.

Principal human health risks atWenshan:r Failure of the residue pond

resulting in transport downdrainage and into water supply

r Ingestion of sediments erodingfrom site

r Direct contact with site wastesr

Consumption of contaminatedwaterr Inhalation of airborne particulates

Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs) forWenshan:r Stabilize on-site wastes to prevent

contaminant migrationr Develop source controls

to minimize leaching intogroundwater

r Establish on-site controls tominimize exposures during

operationr Establish adequate disposal facilities

to permanently retain the ashr O-site: determine degree of

o-site contamination; includingsampling, exposure assessments

Contaminant ScreeningArsenic is the predominantcontaminant of concern for the

Nan Hua site and Wenshan Sites.Potentially signicant concentrationsof lead and zinc are also presentat these sites, but are of reducedsignicance relative to arsenic. Leadis the most signicant contaminant atthe Huaning Site with arsenic in lesseramounts than at Nan Hua or Wenshan.e arsenic concentrations indicatedare extremely high and exceed typicalcleanup criteria by several ordersof magnitude. Many of the sources

contain a signicant fraction of smallparticles, and the arsenic present islikely oxidized in inorganic trivalentform. is combination results inincreased solubility, bioavailabilityand toxicity. ese waste materialson this site are among the mosttoxic forms of arsenic. e sourcesare poorly controlled and subject totransport in the air, surface watersand groundwater. O-site migration isoccurring, and exposures to both site

visitors and downstream/downwind

receptors are of probable healthsignicance.

At the request of the USEPA, theNational Academy of Sciences (NAS)reviewed the state of science forestimating risks associated with arsenicin drinking water. In its 1999 review,the NAS recommended lowering the50 g/l maximum contaminant level

(MCL) for drinking water standardbased the risks of skin, lung, andbladder cancer from drinking watercontaining inorganic arsenic. eUSEPA promulgated a new healthstandard for arsenic based on recentepidemiological ndings associatingarsenic exposure with an increase inthese internal organ cancers. e nalrule lowered the MCL from 50 g/l to10 g/l. Typical cleanup criteria forthese types of sources in the United

States range from less than 25 mg/kgto 250 mg/kg arsenic in the ne soilfraction (Federal Register, 20001).

ere have been numerous arsenic-contaminated site remediations underSuperfund in the U.S. ere has beensome inconsistency in cleanup levelsbetween states and the USEPA Regionsbased on site-specic risk assessments.For example, the Record of Decision atthe ASARCO Globe Plant in Denver,CO required a soil action level for

arsenic of 70 mg/kg. e remedyfurther included voluntary cleanup tothe upper limit of background (denedas 28 mg/kg). Other residential soilscleanup action levels for arsenic atsimilar sites are Sharon Steel, UT (70mg/kg); ASARCO Tacoma Smelter,WA (230 mg/kg); and the Bunker HillSite, Smelterville, ID (100 mg/kg).,-

Figure 6 Waste dumps, Wenshan Site 4Figure 5 Rening Process Area, Wenshan Site 1

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Case Study Remediation of Legacy Arsenic Mining Areas in Yunnan Province, China

Analysis of Alternativese remedial action alternativeswere evaluated using 3 generalcriteria - Long-term eectiveness and

permanence; implementability; andcost. e remedial actions consideredat each site included:

r No actionr Institutional Controlsr Excavation and Removalr Disposalr Barriers and Site Controlsr Surface Water Controlsr Reprocessing

Recommended remedial actions

were provided for each of theWenshan Sites. e recommendationsconsidered long-term eectiveness,construction issues, and level of eort,but did not consider estimated costs,prior to input and participation ofYEPB and local government ocials.Prevention of catastrophic failure wasconsidered the top priority. Largereleases of contaminated materialthat occur during a ood event wouldcause the greatest impact on humans

and the environment. e secondpriority was stabilizing the industrialsite from contaminated surface waterruno, fugitive dust, and human contact.

Addressing potential catastrophicfailure is a primary concern atWenshan Site 1. e processresidue pond had failed in the pastand represents the greatest risk ofcatastrophic failure. e primaryfocus should be to consolidatethe industrial facility to address

contaminated runo, fugitive dust,and human contact. ree approacheswere recommended to addresscatastrophic failure and surface waterinltration. For Wenshan Sites 2 and4 remediation recommendationsfocused on sediment containmentand soil barriers to minimize fugitivedust. Under the recommendations,the structures should be salvaged and

demolished in place, or disposed ofat Wenshan Site 1. Both sites wouldreceive soil barriers around theindustrial facilities aer some site

grading and local drainage controlsare established. e upper wastepiles near the entrance roads at bothsites should be graded to drain watertowards the new drainage ditches andcapped with soil and gravel surface.e toe of the waste pile slopes shouldbe stabilized with rock armoring tomitigate lateral migration. e streamsand dams below the waste piles shouldhave waste material excavated andplaced in a small repository above thestream oodplain. is design also

incorporates containment featuressuch as old foundations into the designto protect the disposal site.

e degree and extent of o-sitecontamination and exposures to localpopulations is unknown. Sampling ofsoils, water, sediments, food suppliesdownstream and biological monitoring(urine samples) could be obtainedto ascertain the extent of o-sitecontamination.

Pilot Project ImplementationOn the basis of these analyses, thepriorities for the pilot project werereviewed. Aer consultation with locallevel governments, it was agreed thatthe rst physical intervention shouldbe in Wenshan County, where the

two highest priorities for the localgovernment were Site 1 and Site 4.

e initial intention was to implement

the remediation plans designedby TerraGraphics as Option 1 forWenshan Site 1 (Figure 7) as ademonstration project, intendingto use this as a model for futureactivities. A complete remediationplan had initially been estimated atU.S. market prices.e major costswere northeast pond relocation($72,000), industrial site and drainageremediation ($165,000) and northwestpond repository closure ($233,000)for a total of $470,000. Later updating

of the costs using local prices showedthat a large premium was required forthe remoteness of the location, whichsignicantly increased the unit costs ofmaterials and equipment.

e funds immediately available werea grant through Blacksmith Institutefor $20,000, which the local authoritiesin Wenshan agreed to match withan additional $80,000 in equivalentcurrency. (is reects government

policy that external grants normallybe matched at the level of 4:1.) isinitial budget of $100,000 was notadequate for the Wenshan 1 work butwas sucient to complete Wenshan4 as pilot and to serve as a modelfor additional work by county andprovincial authorities in other sites.

ZnMnCdFePbAspH Cu

0.13

0

2.9

0

5.2

7.5

0.94

0

0.05

0

2.5

4.4

0

0

0.02

0

0.06

0.20

42

0.56

4.2

0.64

1.3

0

0

0.02

0

0.20

2.2

2.2

20

2.2

23

26

50

3.9

8.5

3.8

9.5

0

0

0.09

0

11000

55

03/09/2005

03/09/2005

03/09/2005

03/09/2005

03/09/2005

10/26/1998

Sampling Date

Furnace N 3

Furnace N 4

Furnace

Big Furnace

Joint Plant

Arsenic Plant in Wenshan County (Site 1) Waste Residue from water (mg/l) sampled on

Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometer in China

Table 3 Wenshan Hazardous Waste Extraction Test

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e remediation was mainly carriedout in the dry season between Nov.2008 and March 2009. e maincomponents consisted of construction

of a retaining wall to create astable tailings storage area and theinstallation of an impermeable liner.Arsenic residues were moved tothis area and placed in compactedlayers to ensure stability. e surfaceof the completed storage area was

vegetated, using local species suitedto the conditions. Drainage ditcheswere installed along the sides of thestorage area to divert surface waterows. Access control was providedto deter scavenging operations, until

resources are found to completefull restoration of the site. YunnanEnvironmental Development Institute(YEDI) Ocials and the BlacksmithInstitute country representative metwith local ocers of both the WenshanPrefecture and Wenshan County for aeld inspection and conrmed that theprimary remediation objectives hadbeen met.

Surface water drainage samples were

taken by Wenshan County EPB, attherequest of Blacksmith Institute, toprovide a baseline level against whichthe post-remediation contaminationcould be compared.e reported arsenicconcentration in the drainage fromthe sites prior to remediation was 1.07mg/l, or 21.4 times the limit (0.05mg/l). Testing of arsenic content inthe drainage systems aer remediation(according to the local EPB) was 0.048mg/l, just within the limit (0.05 mg/l).is represents a twenty-fold reduction.

e local EPB are planning more robustsampling during the rainy seasons tobetter assess the osite transport ofcontaminants. Continued environmentalmonitoring is also planned.

e YEPB noted severalimplementation challenges. Finalcontracted physical remediation costs

were higher than those estimateddue to the access challenges of such aremote site with poor road conditions,increases in some detailed technical

estimates, and additional overheadand local taxes. However, WenshanCounty provided a larger contributionthan originally expected, minimizingoverall budget impacts. e logisticsof working far from the capital, onroads which become impassablein the wet season, proved to be asignicant constraint. Despite the besteorts of all involved, coordinationacross continents and several layersof government was dicult and timeconsuming. Blacksmith Institutes

appointment of a China CountryCoordinator (in Beijing) simplied theday-to-day monitoring and reporting. Afull time, management/technical personin Kunming would have been desirablein order to ensure better communicationwith the local authorities and moreregular supervision.

Conclusions

Overall, the project was recognized

as providing important lessons inremediation, summarized by localocials, as follows:

e success of the pilot project hasbeen recognized by authorities at alllevels in Yunnan and has reinforcedthe value of the approaches and the

potential for developing the broaderprogramme [of remediation].

A large part of the success of thepilot is also due to the commitment

and eorts of the Wenshan CountyGovernment, with the backing ofWenshan Prefecture and the Province.According to the Wenshan CountyEPB, there are at least ve oldsmelters in the county which need tobe addressed and an estimated onemillion tons of polluted materialsrequiring stabilization or recovery. Tenspecic white arsenic residue dumps

have been identied by the EPB. Inaddition to the eorts at the WenshanCounty level, Wenshan Prefectureis preparing a comprehensive plan

to address related issues in all thecounties. e new National policy onenvironment protection in rural areasprovides a favorable context to moveahead on remediation eorts.

Blacksmith Institute and YEDI willcontinue dialogue with Wenshanocials about possible ways to providetechnical and nancial support tothe remediation eorts; discussionswill also be renewed with Huaningand Nan Hua Counties on the sites

identied there. A follow-up visit bythe Blacksmith Institute TechnicalTeam is planned in order to review thework and to discuss lessons learned fromthe demonstration project at Wenshan.

Acknowledgements

Contributors to this project includedthe Kadoorie Charitable Foundationof Hong Kong(now the MillipedeFoundation), Blacksmith Institute

(US),Yunnan Environmental

Protection Bureau (China), localauthorities in Wenshan County(China) and TerraGraphicsEnvironmental Engineering, US.

Partners and Aliations

Ian von Lindern (CEO,TerraGraphics; Blacksmith InstituteTechnical Advisory Board Member)David Hanrahan (BlacksmithInstitute, New York)

Margrit von Braun (TerraGraphics;University of Idaho)Peter Hosking(Regional CoordinatorBlacksmith Institute)Mike Sauer (Technical Advisor,TerraGraphics)Zhou Bo (Director, YunnanEnvironmental Protection Bureau)Henry Voigt (Senior Advisor, YunnanEnvironmental Protection Bureau)

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United States Environmental Protection Agency

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1990. EPA Superfund Record of Decision: Sharon Steel

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September 24, 1990.United States Environmental Protection Agency

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EPA Superfund Record of Decision: Bunker Hill Mining

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(USEPA). 1994a. e ASARCO Tacoma Smelter

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(USEPA). 1994b. EPA/ESD/R08-94/090. Superfund

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(USEPA). 2000.Abandoned Mine Waste Site

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August 2000.

2. TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering (TG).

2007.Assessment ofree Legacy Mining and Mineral

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