The Argonaut Mine Site (Site) is located in the City of Jackson, Amador County, CA. The site is a historical hard rock gold mine that operated from the 1850s to 1942. The overall 500-acre NPL site contains 1) an industrial area and 2) a main tailings disposal area associated with gold mining. The main tailings disposal area is not part of this action. The industrial area is located on both sides of Highway 49 and contains the main shaft over which the headframe tower is located. The 8-acre area contains the infrastructure that was necessary to operate the former 5000-foot-deep mine. This infrastructure includes two former mine mills, machine shop buildings, a former lumber mill area, materials storage and disposal areas, a hoist house, process buildings a former assay building and other various ancillary buildings with industrial oriented functions. The buildings vary in condition from intact structures to foundation remnants.
The “Headframe Area” is a one-acre location within the industrial area that is the primary focus area of this action. Soils in the headframe area are contaminated with lead, arsenic, and mercury at levels that exceed RSLs.
Publicly available information about this removal action, including the administrative record and community communications, is being posted on the remedial program's Superfund Site webpage - www.epa.gov/superfund/argonautmine.
