The Carson River near Buzzy’s Ranch in east Carson City in June 2023. The EPA and NDEP gave a presentation Thursday about the Carson River Mercury Superfund Site, a part of which stretches from Carson City to the Carson Sink in Churchill County.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
Although the federal government has been investigating the Carson River watershed for mercury contamination for decades, there is no current risk to recreationalists, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official told the Carson City Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
“The big key theme, though, to note here is there are no major risks from recreational use of the land or water,” said Mohamed Ibrahim, a project manager from EPA’s Region 9. “That includes swimming and even incidental ingestion of the water if you’re swimming.”
However, eating fish from the Carson River Mercury Superfund Site, which stretches from the Mexican Dam in Carson City to the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge in Churchill County, has been identified as a risk, Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim presented a history of the Superfund site, which was put on the National Priorities List in 1990. The mercury contamination stems from 19th century mining of the Comstock Lode. The EPA estimates that historic mining activity released 14 million pounds of mercury into the environment. The Superfund site encompasses around 330 square miles and five counties and has been divided into two Operable Units or OUs.
OU1 is comprised of old mining sites and tailings around Virginia City and Dayton, and OU2 is made up of the Carson River and its tributaries. OU1 is already in the cleanup phase, Ibrahim pointed out, while OU2 is still in the investigative and planning phases. Part of cleanup efforts include long-term soil sampling. The action level for mercury, he said, is 80 milligrams per kilogram in the soil.
Sampling soils around homes is voluntary, Ibrahim explained, and comes at no cost to the homeowner. Cleanup is also free, he said. In Carson City, seven homes in the Empire Ranch area in east Carson were voluntarily tested in November 2023 with results “well below” action levels, according to the EPA.
Resident Anna Winston was one of those homeowners. She told the Appeal she was delighted the results were below action level but still wanted more testing done at the Empire Ranch Golf Course. However, David Friedman of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection told the Appeal the Morgan Mill River Access area was investigated and remediated in the past, and there are no present-day risks.
Supervisors Stacey Giomi and Lisa Schuette, who also sit on the board of the Carson Water Subconservancy District, worried about conflicts between FEMA and the EPA in flood events.
“If there’s a disaster declaration within the Superfund area, then FEMA disaster mitigation funds are not eligible to be used by a county to mitigate the damage done by the disaster because of the Superfund declaration,” said Giomi. “That’s a real problem, and it’s already been a problem for at least one county. I’m just wondering what efforts EPA and FEMA are working on to prevent that from happening in the future.”
“Yes, we are definitely looking into that. We are definitely aware of that,” Ibrahim responded, adding the EPA is trying to work with FEMA to clarify and resolve that issue.
“Well, I hope you communicate to your team and those above you that it is a real concern for us and our citizens because we stand to spend local money to mitigate problems that, you know, everyone else is able to get federal funds for,” Giomi said.
The EPA also proposed an interim remedy for OU2 including required sediment sampling before any development along the river. That would include bank stabilization projects, according to Ibrahim.
Schuette expressed hope federal agencies would work together and make it easier for the city to manage its portion of the river and mitigate problems.
“If we are wanting to fix this problem, we have to have the tools to do that,” she said. “And you don’t wait until the problem is huge to fix it, right? We try to fix it as we go along or at least reduce the effects of it.”
In other action:
• As part of the consent agenda, supervisors approved a contract with Fisher & Phillips LLP for a total not to exceed $150,000 for the law firm to represent the city in dispute resolution with the Carson City Sheriff’s Supervisory Association. The union includes lieutenants and captains in CCSO.
According to the city, the union declared an impasse in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement after failing to agree on terms “concerning pay and the agreement’s duration.” The impasse required the parties to enter dispute resolution.
The vote to approve the consent agenda was unanimous.
• Supervisors appointed two people to the Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority, both for two-year terms.
Michael Jones was reappointed as a representative of the hotel/motel industry, and Andrew Reno was appointed to the citizen-at-large position.
Supervisors also appointed by unanimous vote two people to the Library Board of Trustees, one for a four-year term and one for a partial term expiring in June 2027.
Beth Lucas was reappointed to the full term, and Deborah Case was appointed to the partial term after fielding questions from supervisors.
Case told supervisors libraries will focus more and more on serving needs in the community. An active board member of the nonprofit Friends of the Carson City Library, Case encouraged residents and supervisors to check out Browsers Corner Book Store that supports library programming: https://friendscclibrary.org/browser-corner-book-store/.
• Supervisors unanimously approved a contract with Facilities Management Inc. for the Carson River Trails System Phase III-Prison Hill West Project.
Funded by a Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) grant, the contract is not to exceed $1,585,164.35.
“This project will construct a non-motorized multi-use trail approximately 2.5 miles in length along the west side of Prison Hill and make improvements to the existing Koontz Lane Trailhead,” reads a staff report. “Trailhead improvements will include re-grading the access road and improve drainage, regrade and reshape the parking area, install an Americans with Disabilities Act accessible single-vault toilet and a picnic table with shade structure.”
Phases I and II were also funded by SNPLMA and included “construction of the Eagle Creek Bridge, and construction of three miles of shared-use trails on Prison Hill and along the Carson River,” according to the report.
Some members of the public said the trail looked like a road and would harm habitat. Gregg Berggren, the city’s trails coordinator, said the 10-foot-wide, non-asphalt trail would mirror the multiuse trail on the east side of Prison Hill. Unlike single-track trail, the wider trail allows diverse uses and reduces user conflicts.
• Supervisors convened as the Board of Health and heard a report on the Carson City Housing Plan that focuses on unsheltered individuals.
The goal of the plan is to help the homeless obtain independent and stable housing. To implement the plan, Carson City Health and Human Services works with nonprofits like Night off the Streets to coordinate services. In 2023, supervisors allocated $222,397 of American Rescue Plan Act funding to local nonprofits to support goals of the plan.
This year, the city contracted with Karma Box for street outreach efforts. The newly created Carson Karma Corps is conducting cleanups of homeless camps and connecting homeless individuals who want help to social services. Since February, six unhoused individuals have been sheltered thanks to the outreach efforts, according to the city
Mayor Lori Bagwell said the community, including businesses, can also be impacted by homeless individuals and encouraged business owners to contact the Carson Karma Corps if they need assistance.
Carson Karma Corps Outreach Specialist Josh Day can be reached at 775-431-6688.
Since implementation of the Carson City Housing Plan last year, 29 individuals have been moved into permanent housing with supportive services, according to the city.
Furthermore, a community coalition with representatives from CCSO, Carson Tahoe Health and others continually coordinate with individuals who are using emergency services at a high rate. The average number of individuals in this category dropped from 28 in 2022 to 8 in 2023. As of April of this year, that number is down to 3.
• The Board of Health also approved a plan of expenditures for a $262,101.18 interlocal contract between the city and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH).
The contract is effective for two years and stems from recent state legislation that boosted public health spending.
Based on the 2022 Quad-County Regional Community Health Needs Assessment, the funding will be directed in the following manner: $67,600 for access to basic needs with an emphasis on seniors and youth; $78,000 for access to healthcare for specific populations including an STI testing campaign for youth, seniors and LGBTQI+ community members as well as more transportation for seniors; $42,000 for mental and emotional health including art programming for youth and seniors, family counseling and senior volunteer programs; and $74,501 for substance use prevention and treatment including youth vaping prevention efforts.