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
12/1/2000
Final Date
9/13/2001
Carpenter-Snow Creek
What's New?
A Record of Decision (ROD) was created in March 2009; the ROD, appendices and figures are all found in this publicly accessible ftp site. A revised Proposed Plan for cleanup of residential soils in Neihart and the tailings deposit on Belt Creek was issued in December 2008.
EPA will conduct remedial design in 2010 for the Neihart cleanup action, working with each property owner to design yard-by-yard cleanup plans. A repository for disposal of contaminated soils will be selected and designed. A survey of historically and culturally important features in Neihart and the surrounding mining district also will be conducted. EPA anticipates that actual cleanup of Neihart and the Belt Creek tailings pile will begin in 2011 and will require two construction seasons to complete.
The pace of studies of the Carpenter and Snow creeks watersheds (water quality, waste volume estimates, ecological risk assessment, etc.) will increase over the next two to three years, as well.
Site Description
The Carpenter-Snow Creek site is located in Cascade County, near the town of Neihart in the Little Belt Mountains southeast of Great Falls, Montana. The site is in an historic mining district, and due to the impact of mining activities, groundwater, soils and some streams are contaminated with heavy metals and arsenic.
The Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District (CSC District) NPL site is located adjacent to and includes the town of Neihart. Mining began in the CSC District when prospectors from Barker discovered silver deposits near the future town of Neihart. The CSC District's mines primarily yielded silver, lead, and zinc ores. After 1883, only those mines with high grade silver ore continued to operate. Later during the period from 1915-1919, the use of the flotation process allowed the mining of lower grade silver ore. During the 1940s, lead and zinc were produced in large quantities for World War II. The CSC District has been largely inactive since the 1960s, although some mines have reported mine exploration and some sporadic production.
Site Risk
Approximately 96 abandoned mines have been identified in the Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District, and at least 21 of these have been identified as probable sources of contamination to surface water. There are documented impacts from mining waste to soil, surface water and stream sediments in Carpenter Creek, Snow Creek, and Belt Creek.
In 2002 and 2003, EPA collected soil/mine waste, surface water sediment and groundwater samples in the town of Neihart (Neihart Operable Unit). Concentrations of lead and arsenic in soil were above screening levels in some residential yards and alleys. Contaminant levels in the surface water of Belt Creek as it flows through Neihart were not above drinking water standards or levels that EPA considers unhealthy for aquatic life. Contaminant levels in the sediment of Belt Creek as it flows through Neihart did not exceed levels considered safe for recreational use.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Ground water, sediment, surface water, soils | Lead and arsenic | Mining activity |
Cleanup Progress
EPA has sampled residential soils throughout Neihart. The northern part of Neihart shows higher levels of lead and arsenic in soils than south of the Community Center. In 2004, EPA conducted a cleanup of lead-contaminated soils near two historic mills within Neihart. A tailings pile along Belt Creek was capped and armored to prevent runoff or failure in floods. A human health risk assessment and draft feasibility study for Neihart were completed in 2005.
A Proposed
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted numerous public meetings to discuss the results of the sampling efforts, Institutional Controls and related cleanup matters. A fact sheet was mailed out describing the results. EPA will continue to send out fact sheets and hold public meetings as proposals for cleanup are being evaluated. EPA meets several times each year with the Cascade County Board of Health and Health Director.
Documents
Note: the following documents are Adobe PDF files
About PDF files
A Record of Decision (ROD) was created in March 2009; the ROD, appendices and figures are all found in this publicly accessible ftp site.
EPA's revised Proposed Plan - December 2008 (PDF,1.4 MB)
Public Comments on EPA's revised Proposed Plan (PDF, 36K )
Transcript of the Public Hearing for the revised Proposed Plan for Clean Up of the Neihart Operable Unit:
Public Comments on EPA's original Proposed Plan (PDF, 125K)
Transcripts of the Public Meetings for the original Proposed Plan for Clean Up of the Neihart Operable Unit:
November 30, 2008 Public Meeting transcript (PDF, 3 pp, 14K)
Fact Sheets: (all are 2-page PDF files)
- December 2008 - Revised Proposed Plan Fact Sheet
- October 2006
- March 2005
- August 2004
- February 2004
- August 2003
- June 2003
- March 2003
- September 2002
Contacts
EPAScott BrownRemedial Project Manager Region 8, Montana Office Federal Building 10 West 15th Street, Suite 3200 Helena, Montana 59626 (406) 457-5035 brown.scott@epa.gov |
Montana Department of Environmental QualityKeith Large |
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View Documents at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Cascade County Health Department Belt Creek Ranger Station
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