Red Devil Mine

The Red Devil Mine site is only accessible by boat or barge from the Kuskokwim River or by aircraft via Red Devil airstrip. Topography, weather, and travel logistics create challenges for site cleanup and limit the transportation options for supplies. Site access is limited from June to September for performing remedial work.

Mining occurred at Red Devil from 1933 until 1971, yielding approximately 35,000 2.5-quart flasks of mercury (also known as quicksilver). At one time, Red Devil Mine was the largest producer of quicksilver in North America.

Mercury historically was used for products like dental fillings, vaccine preservatives, cosmetics, and thermometers. Mercury was also commonly used to extract gold from other minerals because it combines with gold to form an amalgam, or alloy, which can later be heated to separate mercury from the gold.

Operating under the 1872 Mining Law, mine operators conducted extensive underground and surface mining and disposed of mine tailings and processing wastes at the site. By the mid-1980s, BLM declared the mine’s block of unpatented federal mine claims “Abandoned and Void, ” and the site fell into ruins.

Main Image: A mine worker pushes a cart at the retort facility at Red Devil Mine in the 1950's.

In 1987, BLM began addressing hazardous material and physical safety hazards at the site. Over the past 20+ years, the BLM closed the shafts and adits, demolished onsite buildings and tanks, and disposed of the demolition debris in onsite repositories.

In 2009 BLM began a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study of the site. The results of the investigation confirmed that the tailings at Red Devil Mine contain high concentrations of three contaminants of concern: mercury, arsenic, and antimony. The metals in these tailings were released into the soil and water.

Main Image: Crews demolishing the Post 1955 retort facility.

In the summer of 2014, the BLM conducted an "Interim Action," a non-time critical removal action pursuant to CERCLA, at the site to prevent the mine tailings from further eroding into Red Devil Creek and migrating into the Kuskokwim River. The action included realigning a portion of Red Devil Creek, moving the largest tailings pile away from the creek, and constructing a retention basin in the creek downstream of the tailings pile to catch future eroded tailings. This action stabilized the movement of tailings until site-wide remediation can be performed.

BLM met with affected communities before taking the Interim Action. Tribes and communities indicated support for the Interim Action but were also interested in a long-term, site-wide remedy for the contaminants at Red Devil Mine.

Main Image: A BLM scientist collecting samples along Red Devil Creek.

The next step for the Red Devil site includes additional data collection that will be documented in a supplement to the Remedial Investigation report. The results will define alternatives for site-wide remedial action. The initial Feasibility Study focused on tailings and related contaminated soil. The supplement will focus on groundwater and sediment on the Kuskokwim River. When the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study is complete, BLM will prepare the Proposed Plan which will describe BLM’s preferred site-wide remediation alternative.

When completed, the Proposed Plan, including a preferred alternative, will be available for public review and comment. After the public comment period, BLM will develop a Record of Decision to define what action(s) will be taken, applicable cleanup levels, and future monitoring requirements.

Main Image: Extent of tailings and soil impacted by tailings at Red Devil Mine are shown in blue. Red areas are existing pads where buildings once stood and settling ponds used to recycle flotation fluids during the last phase of the mining operations.

Sixteen communities are located along the middle and lower Kuskokwim River. Each community is a federally recognized tribe comprised of Yup’ik and Athabascan Indian tribal members. Most are small villages with populations of 100-300.

Residents practice traditional subsistence lifestyles--hunting, fishing, and gathering--supplemented by seasonal work when available. While the area is one of the most economically challenged regions of Alaska, the communities share a rich history of cultural traditions deeply rooted in their connections to the land and its resources.

Main Image: Fish drying racks in Kuskokwim village (courtesy UAF Center for Alaska Native Health Research).

BLM is studying the concentrations of metals in fish and aquatic insects along the Kuskokwim River, including several tributaries. The study began in 2010, and the report has been periodically updated as data is collected and analyzed.

The study covers non-salmon species that make up a large portion of the diet of subsistence users in the area. The results of this study are being incorporated into the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study.

Main Image: BLM scientists gather samples along the Kuskokwim River and its tributaries to measure mercury levels.

Community and tribal engagement are an important and ongoing part of the Red Devil Mine project. Since 2010 BLM has held 35 meetings in Kuskokwim River communities. Most meetings included tribal leadership but were open to community members to foster transparency, while other meetings were formal government-to-government consultations.

BLM hosted sessions at the Alaska Forum on the Environment and provided regular briefings to interested Native corporations. BLM also uses periodic newsletters and a project website, including the online Administrative Record, to keep tribes and communities informed about the project.

Visit the project website to learn more about the history of the Red Devil Mine site, including a chronology of investigative activities at the site dating from the 1970s. You may also access the Administrative Record for the BLM’s CERCLA investigation that began in 2009.

 www.blm.gov/ak/red_devil_mine 

Or contact: blm_ak_reddevil@blm.gov