The Coalinga Asbestos Mine covers 120 acres near Coalinga, California and includes two open-pit mines, partially demolished mill buildings, and a 20-acre tailings pile left from past mining and milling operations. The site was added to the federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1984. The NPL is the list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. The site was deleted from the NPL in 1998 after cleanup was finished.
The two main contaminants are asbestos and nickel. Asbestos spread into soil, solid waste, surface water, air, and building structures across the site. Nickel was found in buildings, solid waste, and soil in the City of Coalinga area. People can be harmed by asbestos through contact with or ingestion of contaminated soil, surface water, sediments, and air.
Cleanup happened in two phases tied to two operable units (OUs), which are defined work areas used to organize Superfund cleanups. The City of Coalinga area (OU 02) was cleaned up by 1993. Work there included excavating and consolidating 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris, building an underground waste management unit with an impermeable cap, and putting deed restrictions in place. The overall source remedy (OU 01) wrapped up in 1995 and included diverting a stream away from the tailings pile, improving sediment trapping, paving roads to keep dust down, dismantling mill buildings, and restricting access with fencing and deed restrictions. Human exposure at the site is currently under control. All cleanup goals have been met, required land-use controls are in place, and the site is ready for its anticipated uses.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control oversees ongoing operation, maintenance, and monitoring. EPA conducts five-year reviews to confirm the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment. Reviews completed in September 2016 and September 2021 found the remedy is working as intended. The seventh five-year review is underway and the report is due by September 30, 2026. The site now supports 25 businesses employing 247 people and generating about $31.6 million in annual sales.
Community members who want more information can contact EPA staff directly. The completed five-year review report will be posted online and placed at EPA's Superfund Records Center at 75 Hawthorne Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Questions can also be directed to the EPA staff assigned to the site, or to the records center at 415-947-8717.
