Community forum on flooding at Borax
In February of 2005, approximately one million gallons of accumulated rainwater was unintentionally released into the Boron community when an operator created an opening in a berm on one of the east overburden sites. The incident was reported to state and local environmental agencies and was ruled as a non-citable issue. Samples of the runoff were collected and sent to an independent laboratory for testing which confirmed that the runoff was rainwater, containing no harmful chemicals.
Remediation steps by Boron Operations included plugging all openings on the overburden site, examining and re-sloping of the site in areas where water may collect near the dump crest, and enclosing the tortoise berm on Boron Avenue (the area of escape). In addition, meetings were held with all mine department personnel alerting them to the event, the potential consequence of action without discussion with the appropriate personnel, and clarification of the appropriate reporting mechanisms and requirements.
Letters were sent to the affected area residents and a community meeting was held to address concerns. Follow-up meetings were held with Kern County agencies including the Department of Roads and Engineering Services.
A second follow-up meeting was held with community residents outlining a proposed plan to correct the drainage concerns in their neighbourhoods as well as an explanation of the engineering steps required by the County prior to any modifications to existing drainage plans. The County is hampered by a lack of resources which has resulted in delay. Borax is continuing to work with the County and the community residents to complete the work on the drainage system.
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