• SILVER BOW CREEK/BUTTE AREA, SILVER BOW County, MT

Stage of Clean-up: Construction Underway

Montana Conditions at proposal (December 30, 1982): The SILVER Bow Creek Site covers about 24 stream miles in SILVER Bow and Deer Lodge Counties, Montana. The creek, between where it meets COPPER Creek in Butte and Warm Springs Ponds northeast of Anaconda, has been contaminated with a variety of wastes received from industrial, agricultural, and municipal activities for over 100 years. Contaminants such as HEAVY METALS and phosphates have been detected in the creek, which is used for drinking, irrigation, and recreation. Status (September 8, 1983): The State is attempting to remove some of abandoned mine tailings from the banks of SILVER Bow Creek to reduce its contamination. Status (June 10, 1986): EPA has conducted a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site. Preliminary evaluation of data indicates that sources upstream of the existing site are contributing to contamination in the creek.  More...

Sources of Contamination:

• Discharge to sewer/surface water
• Lake or river - disposal in
• Other
• Waste pile

Contaminants Detected
	Ground Water	Surface Water	Air	Soil	Other
ARSENIC	X	X
CADMIUM	X	X
COPPER	X	X
COPPER COMPOUNDS	X	X
HEAVY METALS					X
LEAD		X
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS					X
ZINC	X	X
ZINC COMPOUNDS	X	X

Groundwater and Drinking Water
Were drinking water wells shut down due to contamination?	No
Are drinking water wells potentially threatened?	Yes
Population served by the threatened wells:	No data
Aquifer discharges into:	A drinking water aquifer
	A sensitive ecological environment
	Surface water
Population served by water wells in the aquifer:	No data

List ground water uses.

EPA Hazard Ranking System scores for SILVER BOW CREEK/BUTTE AREA:

Less Hazard

National Average

More Hazard

0%					50%					100%

Overall site:

Surface water migration:

Ground water migration:

Rank Superfund sites in the U.S., MONTANA, or in SILVER BOW 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:	77
Hazardous waste received from off-site generators/transporters?	No
Number of owners/operators which are also municipalities:	1

EPA Site Information

• NPL Fact Sheet
• Government Accounting Office (GAO) assessment
• Record of Decision (ROD) Abstracts
• 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 SILVER BOW County on:

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