Meeting planned on Neihart area Superfund site
A community meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 11 at the Neihart Community Center to discuss the Carpenter-Snow Creek Superfund Site and the upcoming work planned.
Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, State of Montana, and U.S. Forest Service will attend to lead the discussion and answer questions.
The 9,000-acre Carpenter Snow Creek Mining District site is located in the Little Belt Mountains of southern Cascade County.
The site includes mine tailings, waste rock and mine-influenced waters due to many inactive and abandoned mines, according to the EPA, which has identified about 96 abandoned mines at the site; at least 21 of these are probable sources of contamination.
Historic mining operations contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment with metals and other hazardous chemicals. Investigation and cleanup activities are ongoing, according to the EPA.
Mining began in the area in the 1880s when silver deposits were discovered near the future Neihart town site. Mines yielded primarily silver, lead and zinc ores. During the 1920s, lead and zinc were produced in large quantities. The mining district has been largely inactive since the 1940s, but there has been some work and production since, according to the EPA.
