Nestled alongside the East Fork of the Carson River, this California anecdote goes by the name Leviathan Mine. It started life as a copper mine back in the 1800s, but the sulfur buzz in the '30s was what truly got tongues wagging. By 1963, the mining craze had dwindled, yet the mess they left behind showed no sign of budging – it seemed to be a permanent houseguest. Fast forward to the '80s, and the US EPA made an appearance, labeling the site as a Superfund. They set up a bioreactor to manage acid mine drainage and have been working up the courage to take on the pollution ever since. With sulfuric acid and heavy metals as tenacious as a mule, it seems the cleanup process will be more of a marathon than a sprint.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Friendly Jane
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