Region 8
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
12/1/2000
Final Date
9/13/2001
Barker Hughesville Mining District
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Site Type: Final NPL City: Monarch County: Cascade, Judith Basin Street Address: Forest Service Road 6403 ZIP Code: 59469 EPA ID: MT6122307485 SSID: 085N Site Aliases: Barker-Hughesville, Barker-Hughesville Site Congressional District: At Large |
What's New?
Updated April 2012
A public meeting is planned for the evening of May 3, 2012 at the Neihart/Monarch Community Center to discuss activities at the site.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed additional investigations in 2011. Read more about these actions in the 2011 Sampling Activities Report and the Fall 2011 Streamside Tailings and Campsite Investigation, posted in the Site Documents section below. In addition to these reports, sampling was conducted on several properties that contained abandoned mines that had not been sampled in 2009. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks also placed caged fish at select locations in the watershed to determine mortality rates and collected macro-invertebrate and fish population survey data throughout the district.
EPA also made a preliminary Determination of National Register Eligibility for all properties over 50 years of age within the site pursuant to 36 CFR § 800.4.
The Doe Run Company of Missouri began work at the Block P Mine Complex in 2011. EPA oversees the work. Mobilization and road repair began in late June 2011. The county road repairs below the Block P Mine, where Galena Creek washed out the road, were necessary to allow site access. The shaft opening above the plug was also filled.
At the repository (approximately 8 acres), clearing and soil stockpiling started the week of July 11, 2011. Limestone rock (approximately 6-inch lift) was placed over the base of the repository to buffer the water infiltrating the waste during spring melt/run-off.
Waste rock removal from the estimated 235,000-cubic-yard Block P Mine waste dump began on July 25, 2011. Waste rock placement in the repository included compaction of waste in 12- to 18-inch lifts and grading according to the design plans. Also, building debris was distributed across lifts and crushed by the dozer tracks.
Temporary water management practices implemented at the landing area adjacent to the Block P adit caused the flow from the adit to discontinue. A diversion trench intercepted a subsurface flow that appeared to influence the flow from the adit, to the point where no flow was being observed from the adit. The haul operations were discontinued due to weather by October 24, 2011, with an estimated 139,000 cubic yards placed in the repository.
Site Description
The Barker Hughesville Mining District is primarily in Cascade county with a portion in Judith Basin county. Galena Creek flows through the district. The community of Monarch is located about 15 miles away.
Because of the contamination and risks to public health and the environment, EPA proposed the site for the National Priorities List (NPL) for Superfund cleanup in December 2000. On September 13, 2001, the site was listed as a Final NPL site in the Federal Register.
Site Risk
Rich silver and lead ores were discovered in the Barker Hughesville Mining District in 1879. Mining activity occurred until around 1893 and again in the 1920s, 1940s and 1970s. There are approximately forty-six abandoned mines in the BH District. Sixteen have been identified as water contamination sources because of their proximity to surface streams. These abandoned mines and associated contamination are dispersed throughout the Galena Creek and upper Dry Fork watersheds.
Metals and arsenic contamination of soils, groundwater, and surface water have been documented in several studies conducted at the site since 1990. Dissolved zinc is the metal of greatest concern. Ten discharging adits (horizontal mine openings) have also been identified. Scattered mine waste piles present both safety risks and health risks.
Galena Creek flows through the Barker Hughesville site. There is no fishery or aquatic insect life in Galena Creek because of the impact of mining wastes. There is a fishery in the upper reach of Dry Fork of Belt Creek; however, it is severely impacted by Galena Creek in its lower reach.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| groundwater, sediment, surface water, soils | metals and arsenic | mining |
Cleanup Progress
U.S. Forest Service and EPA signed an Action Memorandum for one portion of the site, called the Block P Mill Tailings Deposit. The Action Memorandum required the Doe Run Co. of St. Joseph, Missouri, to consolidate and cap the tailings. Extensive work was completed by the Doe Run Co. in 2004 and 2005, with oversight by the U.S. Forest Service. The longer-term Remedial Program plans to begin the Remedial Investigation sampling to determine the nature and extent of contamination at orphan mines site-wide.
The primary objective of the EE/CA was to analyze, compare, and recommend the preferred removal action alternative or the cleanup method. The following is a description of essentially three options for the mine waste cleanup:
No Action: This option will make no effort to reduce risk to human health or the environment. No additional groundwater/surface water monitoring will be conducted.
Consolidation of Waste: This option will build a repository, or permanent containment unit, for the mine waste onsite near the existing mine waste dumps but away from surface water.
Excavation for Offsite Disposal: This option will transport all waste rock, contaminated soil, and mining-related debris to an offsite existing disposal facility.
EPA's recommended action includes removing mine waste from its current location in and along surface water drainages and consolidating the waste into a repository or a permanent containment unit, located near the Block P Mine Complex. Several locations near the waste dumps, but away from the surface water, have been evaluated as potentially suitable for storing waste. The containment unit would be designed to minimize infiltration and run-on and in turn prevent migration of hazardous substances. The removal action is intended to provide long-term protection of human health and the environment and be consistent with future actions at the site.
EPA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the Doe Run Resources Corporation to prepare the EE/CA. Following the public comment period, EPA will issue an Action Memorandum describing the cleanup, and the Doe Run Company has agreed to implement the cleanup. Some of the cleanup action will begin in the fall.
Community Involvement
Community involvement plays an important role in the Superfund process. EPA uses a number of different tools and resources to promote effective, on-going, meaningful community involvement. The goals of the Superfund community involvement program are to:
- Keep communities affected by sites informed throughout the cleanup process.
- Provide opportunities for communities to comment and offer their input about site cleanup plans.
- Facilitate the resolution of community issues tied to a site.
Throughout the cleanup process, Superfund law requires that stakeholders and the community be given every opportunity to have meaningful input on the cleanup. First, a Community Involvement Plan (CIP) is prepared acknowledging any concerns or issues the community and other stakeholders may have. The CIP outlines how EPA will communicate with the public about future work, opportunities for commenting on decisions, and other pertinent information. Some methods used for communicating with the public include: fact sheets, public notices, public meetings, press releases and this Web page.
EPA hosted a public meeting March 31, 2010 for community members to ask questions and discuss the cleanup planned for the Barker Hughesville Block P Mine Complex removal.
A public meeting is planned for the evening of May 3, 2012 at the Neihart/Monarch Community Center to discuss activities at the site.
Reuse
EPA places a high priority on land reuse as part of its Superfund response program mission. The agency tries to select cleanup options that encourage and support future use of a site. EPA uses two fundamental methods to facilitate reuse of Superfund sites:
- Exploring future uses before the cleanup remedy is implemented, an approach that gives the Agency the best chance of designing cleanup remedies to support the likely future use of a site.
- Working with landowners and communities to remove barriers not considered necessary for the protection of human health or the environment at those sites where remedies are already in place.
One option for reuse is the siting of clean and renewable energy projects on contaminated (or formerly contaminated) lands. As part of this effort, EPA is evaluating the potential for energy projects on these properties and working with landowners and communities to identify ways to remove barriers to such projects.
The reasonably anticipated future land use is determined during the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study process. This information is considered during the development and selection of the remedy for the site.
Land Use Controls and Other Institutional Controls
Land use controls are the most common type of institutional control (IC). ICs are administrative or legal controls that help reduce the likelihood for human exposure to contamination. ICs can also help protect the integrity of the remedy. Examples of ICs are:
- Zoning ordinances.
- Environmental covenants.
- Deed notices.
- Well-drilling restrictions.
- Building permits.
- Informational advisories.
EPA will determine the specific ICs later in the cleanup process, following the remedial action.
Five-Year Reviews
EPA or the lead agency conducts five-year reviews following the start of a Superfund cleanup when contamination is left on the site. These reviews are repeated every five years. We use these reviews to determine:
- How the remedy is working.
- If the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.
Five-year reviews are not yet required at this site.
Site Documents
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Note: Best way to open a very large file: right-click and save it to a folder.
Presentation from May 3, 2012 public meeting (PDF, 51 pp, 11.8MB)
2012 Field Update, April 2012 (PDF, 2 pp, 118K)
Sampling Activities Report: 2011 Sampling Events, March 2012 (PDF, 205 pp, 76MB)
Technical Memorandum: Streamside Tailings and Campsite Investigation, Fall 2011, January 25, 2012 (PDF, 50 pp, 80MB)
2011 Field Update, August 2011 (PDF, 2 pp, 45K)
Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis of the Block P Mine Complex, March 2010 (PDF, 59 pp, 212K)
- Tables
- Figures
- Appendices A-J
Community Involvement Plan, February 2010 (PDF, 55 pp, 423K)
Administrative Order on Consent for Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis, August 7, 2008 (PDF, 36 pp, 2.6MB)
Contacts
EPA
Steven Way
On-Scene Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (8EPR-SA)
Denver, Colorado 80202
303-312-6723-1129
800-227-8917, ext. 312-6723 (toll free Region 8 only)
way.steven@epa.gov
Roger Hoogerheide
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. EPA, Region 8, Montana Office
Federal Building
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
406-457-5021
hoogerheide.roger@epa.gov
Montana DEQ
Keith Large
State Project Officer
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
Remediation Division
1100 N. Last Chance Gulch
PO Box 200901
Helena, MT 59620-0901
406-841-5039
klarge@mt.gov
View Documents at:
EPA Superfund Records Center, Montana Operations
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
406-457-5046
Hours: M-F, 8:00 am-4:30 pm
U.S. Forest Service, Belt Creek Ranger Station
4234 U.S. Highway 89 N
Neihart, MT 59465
406-236-5511
Hours: M-F, 8:30 am-4:30 pm
Cascade County Health Department
115 4th Street South
Great Falls, MT 59401
406-454-6950
Hours: M-F, 8:00 am-5:00 pm