Being from Montana, when you drive through Butte, there is a
giant hole. It is the remains from a historical mining site during the copper
boom which began in the area in the 1870s. In 1955, everyone left, and all that
remained was the giant hole. Keep in mind this hole, is right in the middle of
this small town.
The hole in Butte is called the Berkley Pit. Pumps were used
to dewater the mines, but then were shut down in the 1980s. After this, the
entire pit/hole filled up with 40 billion gallons of acidic water. The hole is
full of heavy metals, and is considered a terminal sink now, that is constantly
being filled with ground water and contaminated soil.
The soil surrounding the hole was tested, and found to be
full of an immense amount of contaminants, including: Aluminum, Antimony,
Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Calcium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron,
Lead, Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Potassium, Selenium, Silver,
Sodium, Thallium, Tin, Vanadium, and Zinc. Most of these were also found in the
ground and surface water as well.
The ground water gets contaminated when it flows through the
old mine shafts, then reacts with oxygen to oxidize the sulfide minerals,
making the water acidic.
There have been as many steps towards a remediation effort
to ensure ground water in the area keeps clean.
In the 1980s it was placed on the 20th on the list of
priority from the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Health hazards from the Berkley Pit during the mining days
would cause the miners to inhale silica particles, causing lung problems. It is
said that people could still be effected by the exposure to the heavy metals,
too much of these minerals can cause inflammatory diseases and cardiac disorders.
Arsenic can even lead to skin, lung, and bladder cancer and cause the arteries
to harden.
Soil contamination is not only a problem that has begun to
arise today, but is still an effect from things from long ago that are still
trying to be fixed.
Tessa Millhollin
Tessa Millhollin
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