Mercury cleanup set to start in August in Dayton area

Environmental Protection Agency project manager Wayne Praskins said up to 2 feet of contaminated soil will be removed from four sites, three in Dayton and one in nearby Silver City.

The cleanup will cost about $500,000, with the state paying up to 10 percent of it.

"The work should begin by the first week in August, with work completed within 30 to 60 days," Praskins said.

The EPA's Carson River Superfund Site is one of about 1,300 nationwide and the only one in Nevada.

It made the list because of the high level of mercury that washed into the river during last century's Comstock mining boom.

More than 20 mills along the river in the Dayton area used mercury to recover precious metals from ore mined in nearby Virginia City.

As much as 7,500 tons of mercury washed into the river and only 38 tons have been recovered to date, state researchers have said.

EPA officials have said the situation poses a health risk to children who play in contaminated soil and to people who eat fish caught in the river.

The mercury-laden dirt from the sites will be taken to the Lockwood landfill east of Reno, and will be replaced with clean dirt.

The completion of the project will not signal the end of the EPA's involvement in the Dayton area, Praskins said.

"The EPA will be involved for another couple of years, studying the river," he said.

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