Contamination from what was once the world’s largest zinc and lead mines have turned Tar Creek’s water orange. One million gallons of contaminated water per day is released into the creek. The effort to clean the site has extended 42 years. That’s why the environmental advocacy organization American Rivers ranked it one of the most endangered rivers in the country.
The report lists the contamination from minerals like lead and arsenic in the creek, which harms wildlife and pose a risk to residents who live in Miami, Okla.
Rebecca Jim, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Local Environmental Action Demanded, worries about the risks when it rains heavily.
“When it spreads out, and it floods a neighborhood, it's not just water, it's heavy metal. And when that water recedes, many of the metals remain,” Jim says. “And that puts our community risk.”
Bob Nairn, a professor of civil engineering and environmental science at the University of Oklahoma, has studied Tar Creek for more than 20 years. He says there are many watersheds across the country affected by the consequences of mining.
“From a water quality perspective, there is no doubt tar Creek is severely degraded,” Nairn said. “I think the designation as an endangered river certainly is appropriate and will hopefully bring some more for lack of a better word notoriety to the subject.”
Hope for change
Nairn’s team has been using equipment that takes water coming up from the mines and cleans it.
“We're not fixing or eliminating the source of the poor quality water, but we're intercepting it as it comes out of the ground and trying to treat it before it gets into the stream,” Nairn said.
By changing the chemistry of the river, Nairn notes that the biomes have started to be restored. This technology would have to be more widespread to make an impact on the entire water system, Nairn said. But the biggest obstacle is removing the giant mountains of chat, he says.
“You've got to address those source materials,” he said. “And that work’s got to be ongoing, and that work’s got to be completed.”
Advocates like Jim have hope for the revitalization of Tar Creek. Jim says students at the Harvard University school of design are coming up with what Tar Creek could look like in the future. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking public feedback on it’s plan in the process to clean up the superfund site.
“I don't know if you read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but 42 is the answer to everything,” Jim said. “This is the year. We think this is our time.”
---
Support this vital local reporting with a donation to KOSU. Click here to give.
