Superfund Project
The environmental cleanup in Butte, often referred to as the “Superfund Project” is a story about the effects of heavy metals on soil and water, and the response effort ordered under a federal law. It’s a story about widespread hazardous waste pollution stemming from a century of mining the Richest Hill on Earth, and a community’s environment that has now experienced decades of remedial and restorative actions. Surely, there are more chapters to be written, but circa 2024, the story of Butte’s Superfund Project is one about substantial improvements and a transformed landscape.
The relatively new Superfund Project pales in comparison to the story of 160 years of mining in the Butte area. Gold and silver placer mining on Silver Bow Creek began as far back as 1864, followed by extensive underground copper mines, which continued until 1989, and open pit mining operations that started in 1955 and are ongoing today. Records indicate that mines blanketed the “Hill” north of Front Street, throughout the Uptown District, the residential neighborhoods of Meaderville and McQueen, and Butte’s Upper and Lower West Side, and north into Centerville and Walkerville. There are more than 4,000 mining claims in the Butte district and 3,500 miles (10,000 miles by some estimates) of underground workings.
This historic mining and smelting activity resulted in substantial soil and water contamination, and changes in the way ground and surface waters flowed in and near Butte, Anaconda, and other areas along the Upper Clark Fork River corridor. Remnants of this mining and smelting history presented a significant hazard to human health and the environment. Heavy metals in waste rock and tailings generated from operations covered much of the Hill; when it rained in Butte, those metals eroded from the waste rock piles and flowed downhill in stormwater, causing extensive water quality problems in Silver Bow Creek and its floodplain.
Superfund Legislation
Until 1980, there was very little that could be done to abate and mitigate the adverse impacts of Butte's mining industry on residents and the environment. There were no laws that governed the historic mining activities, and no violations to enforce. Then things changed.
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Soil Cleanup
In telling the Superfund story about how decisions were made to clean up the soil in Butte, it’s important to understand just how prevalent the heavy metals were and remain in that soil.
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Residential Metals Abatement Program
More than 4,000 properties in Butte – and that number will continue to increase – became collection points for heavy metals, including residential neighborhoods, school playgrounds and parks.
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Groundwater Contamination
Mining in Butte severely impacted water resources – groundwater, stormwater, surface water, drinking water, and even sanitary sewer water – all contaminated by the heavy metals brought to the surface from the Richest Hill on Earth.
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Protecting the Alluvial Aquifer
Groundwater pollution impacted the alluvial aquifer along the Silver Bow Creek corridor and floodplain in the central part of Butte. The cleanup decisions and strategy have been multi-faceted.
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Stormwater and Sanitary Sewer Water Contamination
Stormwater and sanitary sewer water were also contaminated by the heavy metals that Butte's mining industry left behind. Stormwater pollution is an omnipresent challenge and has proved to be a very difficult problem to address.
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Surface Water Contamination
The surface water contamination in the 26-mile corridor from Butte to the Warm Spring Ponds was largely created by a 100-year flood in 1908, when floodwaters moved massive amounts of tailings from Butte mines and smelter operations down the creek.
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End Land Use and Community Assets
End land use is an important consideration when environmental reclamation activities are interwoven and integrated with residential areas in the community, as they are in Butte.
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