Region 8
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, Jefferson County, Montana
EPA ID: MTD982572562
Congressional District: At Large
Site Description
EPA listed the Basin Mining Area to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) 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 Creeks 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.
Site Risk
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.
Cleanup Progress
The site is divided into two Operable Units (OUs): the Town of Basin and the Basin Watershed.
OU1 – Town of Basin
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.
OU2 – Basin Watershed
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
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Annual Update to the Five-Year Review, January 2011 (PDF, 2 pp, 25K)
First Five-Year Review Report, May 2008 (PDF, 107 pp, 5.9MB)
Contacts
EPA
Kristine Edwards
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
Montana Office
Federal Building
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
406-457-5021
edwards.kristine@epa.gov
Montana DEQ
Richard Sloan
State Project Manager
P.O. Box 200902
Helena, MT 59620
406-841-5046
rsloan@mt.gov
View Documents at:
U.S. EPA, Region 8
Montana Office
Federal Building
10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200
Helena, MT 59626
406-457-5000
866-457-2690 (toll free)