• BIG RIVER MINE TAILINGS/ST. JOE MINERALS, ST. FRANCOIS County, MO

Stage of Clean-up: Study Underway

Conditions at Proposal (February 7, 1992): The Big River Mine Tailings/St. Joe Minerals Corp. site in Desloge, St. Francois County, Missouri, was used for disposal of LEAD mine tailings during 1929-58. The site is in a former mining region about 70 miles south of St. Louis often referred to as the "Old LEAD Belt." The region (approximately 110 square miles) contains numerous tailings ponds and piles. St. Joe Minerals Corp. operated the site, disposing LEAD-, CADMIUM-, and zinc-rich mine tailings over approximately 600 acres in a rural area bordered on three sides by Big River. In 1972, the company donated 502 acres of the land to St. Francois County, which then leased the land to St. Francois County Environmental Corp. (SFCEC). Since 1973, SFCEC has operated a sanitary landfill on approximately 60 acres of the southern section of the tailings pile. EPA learned of the site in 1977, when an estimated 50,000 cubic yards of tailings slumped into the Big River during a heavy rain.  More...

Sources of Contamination:

• Waste pile

Elevated levels of LEAD, CADMIUM, and ZINC have been detected in the tailings pile. Surface water and various forms of biota in the Big River contain elevated concentrations of LEAD. Wind erosion and airborne dust have contaminated the surrounding air and are a potential hazard to on-site workers, residents, and children at a nearby day care center. Fish in the big River have shown elevated levels of LEAD. People on site risk being exposed to contaminants in the soil.

Contaminants Detected
	Ground Water	Surface Water	Air	Soil	Other
CADMIUM		X	X	X
LEAD		X	X	X
ZINC		X	X	X
ZINC COMPOUNDS		X	X	X

Groundwater and Drinking Water
Were drinking water wells shut down due to contamination?	No
Are drinking water wells potentially threatened?	No data
Aquifer discharges into:	A drinking water aquifer
	Surface water
Population served by water wells in the aquifer:	10,001 - 100,000

List ground water uses.

EPA Hazard Ranking System scores for BIG RIVER MINE TAILINGS/ST. JOE MINERALS:

Less Hazard

National Average

More Hazard

0%					50%					100%

Overall site:

Surface water migration:

Air migration:

Soil exposure:

Rank Superfund sites in the U.S., MISSOURI, or in ST. FRANCOIS County by EPA Hazard Ranking Scores.

*Note: EPA's Hazard Ranking System is designed to screen and prioritize sites for the Superfund program, based on limited data available at time of listing. These scores are not based on a comprehensive risk assessment of the site and do not reflect conditions after initiation of cleanup work.

Number of PRPs currently associated with this site:	0
Hazardous waste received from off-site generators/transporters?	No
Number of past and present PRPs who contributed less than 1% of the waste:	0
Number of owners/operators which are also municipalities:	0

EPA Site Information

• NPL Fact Sheet
• Government Accounting Office (GAO) assessment
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Public Health Assessment
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Public Health Assessment
• NPL Site 5 Year Reviews
• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) Hazardous Waste Site Information
• Superfund Hazardous Waste Site Advanced Query Form

Scorecard reports for ST. FRANCOIS County on:

• Potential Sources of Land Contamination
• Criteria Air Pollutants
• Hazardous Air Pollutants