4. Please see Site Risks below for an update on the Butte Residential Metals Abatement Program.

Record of Decision for Butte Priority Soils documents the final cleanup plan for this portion of the Silver Bow Creek - Butte Area Site, September 2006: see Site Documents section.

Planned Activities for 2008/2009 include:

1. Finalization and implementation of remedial designs for:

• Granite Mountain Memorial Interpretive Area
• Syndicate Pit
• Remaining source areas
• Lower Area One

2. Conduct storm water monitoring program

3. Conduct groundwater monitoring program

• Installation of additional groundwater monitoring wells in Metro Storm Drain and Lower Area One.

4. Additional review of the Residential Metals Abatement Program

Future Activities

5. Evaluation of the Metro Storm Drain and treatment lagoons at Lower Area One.
6. Implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Storm Water.
7. Full-scale implementation of the Butte Reclamation Evaluation System.
8. Consent Decree negotiations or Administrative Order is served by EPA.

Site Risks

Ground water, surface water and soils are contaminated with arsenic and other heavy metals, including copper, zinc, cadmium and lead. Silver Bow Creek and the Clark Fork River contain metals from the cities of Butte to Milltown. The tailings, dispersed along the creek and river, severely limit aquatic life forms and have caused fish kills in the river. Potential health threats include direct contact with and ingestion of contaminated soil, surface water, ground water or inhaling contaminated air.

Butte/Silver Bow County currently has a very successful Lead Intervention and Abatement Program. The County's abatement program removes both mining-related and non-mining related sources of lead (such as lead-based paint and piping) from residential properties where children live. The County has implemented the program since 1995 and there has been a significant drop in blood lead levels in the community. For more information on this program, call Eric Hassler at the Butte- Silver Bow County Health Department at 406-497-5042.

UPDATE !

The Residential Metals Abatement Program was included in the 2006 Record of Decision signed by EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. At that time, EPA committed to periodic review of the Program. The 2007 Program review shows progress in sampling, cleanup and blood lead testing. When the ROD was signed, 1000 properties had already been sampled. The ROD required the remaining 3,400 residential properties be assessed in eight years from the date of the ROD.

Sampling and Cleanup - In 2007, the Butte-Silver Bow (BSB) Health Department sampled 126 properties. Of the 126 properties, 21 had elevated levels of lead and/or arsenic in yard soils, indoor dust, or basement soils. A schedule to clean up these properties is part of the normal process within the Butte Residential Metals Program. From September, 2006 to December, 2007, BSB cleaned up 32 properties: 16 soil abatement projects, 14 attic dust abatement projects and 2 cap protection/lead paint projects.

Attic Dust - An additional 25 properties had elevated levels of lead and/or arsenic only in the attic dust. As stated in the ROD, if it is determined that the attic dust is entering the living space or the property owner will be remodeling the attic area, the attic dust will be removed.

Blood Lead Sampling - BSB continues to collect blood lead data. Of the 1,018 children participating in the blood lead screening in 2007, three children had elevated blood leads, i.e., above 9.9µg/dl. Two of the children no longer live in Butte and will not be tracked through this program. BSB is working with the family of the third child to address lead based paint associated with the property.

Cleanup Progress

EPA has completed several removal actions and is now focusing on cleanup of the rest of the Butte Priority Soils OU through long-term remedial response actions.

Removal Actions

1988 - Walkerville (north of Butte): Stabilization of 300,000 cubic yards of lead-contaminated soil from mine waste dumps. Earthen basements (4) and residential yards (23) were cleaned up.

1989 - Timber Butte ): Some 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil were moved to a temporary on-site repository in 1989. Two residential yards were cleaned up.
1990 -1991 - Priority Soils: Waste dumps containing about 100,000 cubic yards of soil were either capped or removed. A railroad bed and seven residential yards were also reclaimed.
1991 - Colorado Smelter: Approximately 40,000 cubic yards were moved to an on-site disposal area.
1992 - Anselmo Mine Yard/Late Acquisition Silver Hill: contaminated soils were removed.
1994 - Walkerville: Several waste dumps were either removed or capped.
1994 - Residential/Source Areas: Residentia yards and Waste Rock Dumps located throughout Butte and Walkerville have been/are being addressed.
1996 - Storm H2O : Construction of cement channels & sedimentation ponds throughout the Butte hill to address Storm H2O contamination.
1999 - Railroad : Removal of contaminated soil on numerous railroad beds and rail yards throughout the Butte hills. This action should be completed in 2003.
2000/2001 - Walkerville Residential Area: This action addressed 46 residential properties throughout Walkerville, MT.

Long-Term Remedial Response

Tailings were removed from the Mill-Willor Bypass and consolidated behind armored, reinforced berms. The lime treatment plant and hydraulic structures were upgraded. Large areas of exposed tailings were capped or flooded. Waterfowl ponds and wetlands were constructed throughout the pond and bypass system.

Water quality and biological monitoring over the past ten years show a significant improvement in the pond system's ability to treat the highly toxic water of Silver Bow Creek. Water leaving the pond system now rarely exceeds EPA's Gold Book water quality criteria for protection of aquatic life. The bypass is today a meandering stream that has become excellent habitat for trout and sculpins, and it supports a rich assemblage of aquatic insects. The aquatic environment of the upper Clark Fork River has benefitted measurably since the response actions at the Warm Springs Ponds were completed.

Butte Priority Soils
The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit was divided into two phases. Phase I, an expedited Response Actions, addressed source areas by removing waste dumps, railroad beds, or other related mine wastes. Response actions that are part of Phase I continue. Phase II is the final remedial process to address the remaining environmental and human health issues associated with all the media including soil, groundwater and surface water. Phase II culminated in a Record of Decision (ROD) in September 2006.

West Camp/ Travona Shaft Area
In 1989, rising mine waters were addressed by a pumping and piping system, sending the waters to the Metro Plant and preventing basement flooding and discharges of contaminated ground water to the alluvial aquifer and Silver Bow Creek.

Berkeley Pit
EPA and the state are concerned about rising contaminated mine water in the pit because the water may eventually migrate into the shallow aquifer and Silver Bow Creek. Clean up plans include: 1) Permanent control of surface inflow into the Pit; 2) Maintenance of the water level in the Berkeley Pit system; 3) Continued control of the West Camp/ Travona System; 4) An extensive compliance monitoring program; and 5) Institutional controls.

Rocker Timber Framing and Treating Plant
In 1995, EPA, working with MDEQ, selected the remedy to address human health risks from potential exposure to contaminated soils and ground water. Cleanup occurred in 1997. EPA is in close communication with the Rocker Water Board and the Butte Silver Bow County Health Department.

Stream Side Tailings
In November 1995, EPA and the MDEQ selected a remedy for the Stream side Tailings area. An Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) adjusted the remedy to some extent. The remedy removes much of the waste along the Creek and treats other waste in place. Construction began in fall 1999 and is progressing well in Sub-Area 1 in the upper portion of SBC.

Lower Area One
EPA conducted an Expedited Response Action for this area: In 1992, EPA removed manganese stockpiles; and in 1993-1997 removed mine tailings (Colorado and Butte Reduction). A ground water collection and treatment system has been installed. Studies are underway to see if additional cleanup is necessary.

Final capture and treatment of contaminated ground water is planned and the final cleanup decisions will be part of the Priority Soils ROD.

Environmental Progress

Numerous completed cleanup actions at the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Site have reduced human exposure to metals and other health threats. However, EPA has determined that high concentrations of metal in soils and drainage from the smelter still pose risks that will be addressed in future cleanup actions.

Site documents

Fact Sheets.

Mine Flooding Operable Unit-Bankruptcy Proceeding and Settlement effects on the Consent Decree (2 pp,60K)

ROD Summary (PDF, 2 pp, 334K)

Five-Year Review Annual Update-December 2007 (3 pp, 47K)

Technical Documents

Granite Mountain Memorial Area Phase 2 Remedial Action Work Plan/Final Design Report

Record of Decision, September 2006

Five-Year Review-September 30, 2005 (217 pp, 2.6 MB)

Best way to open the very large file above: right-click and save it to a folder.

Archived documents:

Past Records of Decision for this site

Butte Benefits from a $78 Million Cleanup Agreement, March 25, 2002

The Settlement Agreement Document (Consent Decree) (PDF, 600 kB)

Butte area Superfund site redevelopment success stories (PDF, 2 pages)

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Site Contacts