GAZETTE PHOTO BY RONNIE SWEETING ABOVE, CLEAN-UP OF THE MERCURY SPILL AT THE MARIPOSA CREEK WALKWAY CONTINUED ON SATURDAY. THE SPILL THREATENED PUBLIC SAFETY. An evening at the Mariposa Art Park turned into quite a spectacle after someone spilled four to eight ounces of liquid mercury along the Mariposa Creek Parkway. The incident happened on Friday, July 16, around 6:45 p.m., just as the Mariposa Evenings music was about to begin.

According to Sheriff Brian Muller, deputies and CAL FIRE personnel responded after David Biggins spilled the mercury between the Pizza Factory and the Best Western. Because of public health concerns, portions of the walkway were immediately cordoned off to stop the flow of foot traffic through the area. Mariposa County Public Health Officer Dr. Charles Mosher determined that evacuation of the area was not necessary.

Mariposa County Environmental Health Officer Dave Conway and California State Fish and Game Warden Frank Milazzo responded to the scene to further assess the extent and severity of the spill. Milazzo determined that some of the mercury had actually gotten into the creek.

California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were contacted and made aware of the incident. Personnel at the EPA told local officials that the mercury would naturally dissipate at or above temperatures of 70 degrees. It was well above 90 degrees at the time of the spill. Still, EPA officials visited the site the following day.

On Tuesday, Mariposa County Public Health Officer Dr. Charles Mosher told the board of supervisors that he had “good news” and “better news” about the incident. The good news was that there was “really no danger to the public” from the spill, Mosher explained.

A company from Fresno did the clean-up with a vaccuum process. In the “better news” category, Mosher said his staff had found a way for the state to pick up the tab. He also thanked all the agencies that responded to the spill, calling it a “unified response.”

Deputies interviewed Biggins, who told them he got the mercury from a friend and had intended to use it for prospecting purposes. He was arrested for polluting a waterway and was later released on a written promise to appear in court.

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