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NPL Site Narrative for Tar Creek (Ottawa County)
TAR CREEK (OTTAWA COUNTY)
Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Federal Register Notice: September 8, 1983Conditions at listing (October 1981): The Tar Creek Site, near Picher, in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, covers 40 square miles. It is a portion of the Tri-State Mining District, which covers 100 square miles and extends into Missouri and Kansas. The area produced significant quantities of iron and zinc in the 1920s and 1930s. When major mining operations ceased in the early 1970s, ground water accumulated in the mines. In 1979, acid mine water with high concentrations of heavy metals began to discharge to the surface, contaminating surface water. This problem, along with the potential for contaminating the drinking water aquifer under the mining area, prompted the U.S. Geological Survey and the State to investigate the site. In 1981, the State declared the site its number one pollution problem.
Status (July 1983): In June 1982, EPA awarded a $435,368 Cooperative Agreement to Oklahoma for a remedial investigation to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and a feasibility study to identify alternatives for remedial action. The work is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 1983.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.