The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) Superfund Section identified this site during ongoing efforts to prioritize 328 known abandoned gold mine sites in the State for possible hazard ranking screening. According to the NCDENR, the Loflin mine occurs in a mineral district having ore with associated arsenic and the Site has become a residential area. Although arsenic in soils above the ore deposits at the Site is naturally occurring, the availability of arsenic to residents through the soil exposure pathway has been enhanced by mining operations and residential development. The mine was operated intermittently between the mid-1800s, the first decade of the twentieth century and then reportedly operated again briefly during the 1930s.
The Fund Lead Site consists of seven residential properties, some with arsenic values reaching into the hundreds.
EPA's proposed actions at the Site include excavation with restoration and/or capping of surface soils surrounding those residences where arsenic levels exceed EPA’s Removal Action Level (RAL) for residential properties. Currently this level is established at 40 ppm. Two feet of clean soil will be put in the yards to provide a protective barrier between the contamination and residents.
