Comment submitted by T. Shaw

Tim Shaw <tim@shawmortgage.net> 03/20/2007 03:31 PM To Docket Superfund@EPA cc apearson@newsreview.info bcc Subject EPA-HQ-SFUND-2007-00079 I saw in a recent newspaper article (The News-Review, March 7, 2007) there was an article regarding the Formosa Mine. I do not feel that any money needs to be spent on this site. From the article I see that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is now trying to drag in the EPA. This site should be just left alone. The problems with that area stem back a lot further than when Formosa was active. Formosa may have aggravated the situation but it was a preexisting condition. I am an Oregon State University graduate in Geology and was the former Exploration Geologist at the Formosa (Silver Peak) Mine. If we do a quick geological review of this area you will find that there are a number of peaks running southwest / northeast. A number of these peaks contain or contained mineralization. Dr. Lu, Ph.D. theorized that these peaks were once part of a spreading center or mineralization funnels deep under the ocean. These areas of mineralization occurred due to mineral rich super heated waters coming up through the earth’s crust. These waters also contained a large amount of sulfur, especially Silver Peak. Some of the mineralization was very rich in nickel (note Nickel Mountain to the Southwest). The sulfide mineralization inside Silver Peak has been there for a very very long time. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s prospectors combed the valleys looking for mineralization sign and then worked their way up into the mountains to find the source. Silver Peak was typical of this prospecting. When they thought they were near the source they started tunneling into the mountain with picks, shovels, iron bars, and explosives. The area surrounding Silver Peak is pock marked with adits. Many of them, that I visited, had water backed up into them or flowing out of them. I visited Nickel Mountain and the main adit at Silver Peak prior to my employment at Formosa as part of my OSU geology study. At that time water was flowing out of the adit. That water was very acidic. It was acidic simply because ground water was flowing through the naturally fractured and jointed rock. Rock that was high in sulfide ores. This action creates sulfuric acid. Here is the bottom line, unless you are going to remove the entire mountain and clean up EVERY adit in that area it will rain, the rain will penetrate the ground, it will peculate through the ground and dissolve the minerals in the ground, and eventually flow out in the valley where everyone can get excited about how nasty those miners were. So I just do not see the point in trying to fix something God put there eons ago. Can’ t we spend our money more wisely? My contact information is below. I would be happy to chat with you further regarding the history and geology of the area. Tim Shaw Shaw Mortgage P - 907-563-0269 F - 907-522-5506 C - 907-250-0275 866-TIM-SHAW tim@shawmortgage.net www.shawmortgage.net