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Operable Unit

EPA offers the following definition of Operable Unit: During cleanup, a site can be divided into a number of distinct areas depending on the complexity of the problems associated with the site. These areas called operable units may address geographic…

September 10, 2012
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  • Superfund Glossary
  • anaconda, butte, clark fork river, definition, epa, operable unit, silver bow creek, superfund, superfund glossary
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Clark Fork River Mainstem

Mine wastes washed down the Clark Fork River from Butte and Anaconda were spread throughout the floodplain, settling in deposits called “slickens.” Slickens can be easily observed throughout the Deer Lodge Valley today; typically, they are dry, sandy areas with…

August 1, 2012
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  • arco, atlantic richfield, bp-arco, clark fork river, consent decree, deer lodge, mainstem, milltown, operable unit, record of decision, rod
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Rocker Timber Site

EPA, working with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, selected the remedy for the Rocker Timber Framing and Treating Plant in late 1995. The remedy addresses human health risks from potential exposure to contaminated soils and ground water. You can…

August 1, 2012
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  • five-year review, map, operable unit, photos, rocker, silver bow creek, superfund, timber
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Warm Springs Ponds

The three Warm Springs Ponds cover 2,400 acres at the confluence of Silver Bow, Mill, Willow, and Warm Springs creeks. The ponds were constructed by the Anaconda Company between 1911 and 1959 in an attempt to trap tailings before they…

July 31, 2012
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  • clark fork river, mill creek, mine waste, operable unit, silver bow creek, tailings pond, warm springs ponds, willow creek
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Non-Priority Soils (Westside Soils)

This Operable Unit encompasses a variety of mine dumps to the immediate west of urban Butte. The area is a popular recreation site for local residents. Recently, EPA began to refer to the site as “Westside Soils.” For most of…

July 31, 2012
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  • butte, non-priority soils, operable unit, remedial investigation, west side soils
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Lower Area One

Butte Natural Resource Damage Restoration Council (BNRC) Lower Area One (LAO) is a very active segment of the broader Butte Area One Operable Unit, which has recently received attention after funds from the 2008 Consent Decree between the State of…

July 31, 2012
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  • area one, bnrc, butte, lower area one, map, metro storm drain, nrdp, operable unit, record of decision, response action, restoration plan, rod, silver bow creek, slag canyon, tailings, treatment
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Berkeley Pit & Flooded Mines

Together, the Berkeley Pit and the historic underground mines of Butte, which have been flooded since groundwater pumps were turned off by ARCO in 1982, form the Butte Mine Flooding Operable Unit (BMFOU). EPA and the state of Montana are…

July 31, 2012
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  • berkeley pit, bmfou, butte, map, mine flooding, operable unit, pitwatch
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Butte Priority Soils

EPA’s latest bulletin, from July 11, 2013, provides an overview of past and ongoing remediation work in the Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (BPSOU), which includes most of the Butte urban area. Download the bulletin below. In March 2013, EPA…

July 31, 2012
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  • bpsou, bres, butte priority soils, butte reclamation evaluation system, map, operable unit, public health, removal action, residential soils, response action, uao, unilateral administrative order
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