Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
7/22/1999
Final Date
10/22/1999
Basin Mining Area
Near Basin, Montana, Jefferson County, Congressional District - At Large
EPA ID# MTD982572562
About the Basin Mining Area Site
EPA listed the Basin Mining Area to the Superfund National Priorities List on October 22, 1999, due to mining-waste problems in the watershed and mining waste in the Town of Basin. The mining area includes the watersheds of Basin and Cataract Creek and portions of the Boulder River below the confluence with these heavily impacted streams. Listing makes the site eligible for federal cleanup funds while EPA seeks to recover costs from the parties responsible for the contamination, or to complete the work if no parties are found. The NPL designation also allows EPA to cooperate with other agencies (such as the US Forest Service) in the cleanup. Under Superfund, affected communities are eligible to receive Technical Assistance Grants from EPA to provide a technical advisor for independent review of the proposed work.
Background Information
Mine wastes impact Basin and Cataract Creeks and the soils within the town of Basin. Contaminants include arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and other metals. Listing allows EPA to look at the watersheds in a comprehensive way in cooperation with other agencies and community groups. The Site is divided into two Operable Units (OUs): the town of Basin and the Basin Watershed.
Town of Basin OU
Environmental Progress
In the summer of 1998, EPA conducted a removal in the Town of Basin OU near residential properties. This action removed some of the mining waste sources located in the community of Basin. Since then, the Agency completed a remedial investigation in October 2000 and a feasibility study in December 2000.
A human health risk assessment was completed in October of 2000 as well as a Proposed Plan for clean up in January 2001. The Record of Decision was finished in March of 2001, with an estimated cost of $3.9 million. The residential component of the remedy began in September 2002 and was completed in November 2003. Source area cleanup began in May 2004 was completed in the fall of 2004. OU1, the Town of Basin Project, is now complete.
Basin Watershed OU
Environmental Progress
Working in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the EPA conducted some cleanup of the mining wastes at the Buckeye/Enterprise, Crystal and Bullion Mines located in the Basin Creek and Cataract Watersheds. The clean-ups were completed in 2002. These projects were managed as EPA Removal Program -lead projects, funding was provided by each agency according to the ownership (federal or private). The cost of cleanup was portioned out according to the ownership as well. Wastes were disposed of in the joint EPA/Forest Service Luttrell Repository. EPA is currently working on an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for additional cleanup work a the Crystal and Bullion Mines. After work on the Crystal and Bullion Mines is complete, a Record of Decision will be developed.
Site Documents
December 2008 Update to the Basin Mining Five-Year Review
Basin Mining 2008 Five-Year Review Report (LARGE PDF file: 8.6 MB)
Contacts
U.S. EPA
Kristine Edwards, Remedial Project Manager
Basin Watershed OU, Town of Basin
Region 8, Montana Office
Federal Building
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
(406) 457-5021
Email:edwards.kristine@epa.gov
Mike Bishop, Remedial Project Manager
Alternate RPM for Basin Watershed
(406) 457 - 5041
Email:bishop.mike@epa.gov
Diana Hammer
Community Involvement Coordinator
(406) 457-5040
Email:hammer.diana@epa.gov
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 200902
Helena, MT 59620
(406) 841-5042
E-mail: jgriffin@mt.gov
VIEW DOCUMENTS AT:
Region 8, Montana Office
Federal Building
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
(406) 457-5000
Toll Free #: 1-866-457-2690