Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 8): Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area NPL site, Warm Springs Ponds Operable Unit, Upper Clark Fork River Basin, MT. (First remedial action), September 1990

Technical Report · Fri Sep 28 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:5201448

The Silver Bow Creek site is a mining and processing area in the Upper Clark Fork River Basin, Deer Lodge County, Southwestern Montana. The Record of Decision (ROD) documents the selected interim remedial action for one of eleven operable units for the site, the Warm Springs Ponds operable unit, which covers approximately 2,500 acres just above the beginning of the Clark Fork River. Contamination at the site is the result of over 100 years of mining and process operations in the area. Mining, milling, and smelting waste were dumped directly into Silver Bow Creek and transported downstream to the Clark Fork River with final deposition downstream as far as 130 miles. Principal threats from the site include the possibility of pond berm failure due to flood and earthquake damage that could release millions of cubic yards of tailings and sediment to the river. Furthermore, the creeks are contaminated with dissolved metals, and exposed soil and tailings are contaminated with elevated levels of several metals. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil, sediment, ground water, and surface water are metals including arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
• OSTI ID: 5201448
• Report Number(s): PB-91-921528/XAB; EPA/ROD/R--08-90/030
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ARSENIC
CADMIUM
CLEANING
COPPER
DECONTAMINATION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GROUND WATER
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LEAD
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
MINING
MONITORING
MONTANA
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
REMEDIAL ACTION
SEDIMENTS
SEMIMETALS
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
SUPERFUND
TAILINGS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
ZINC