What Comes Next
One of the most common questions about Superfund is simple: What happens after cleanup?
In places like Butte and along Silver Bow Creek, cleanup is not just about removing contamination. It is also about creating a healthier landscape that people can live with, use, and care for — now and in the future.
This page explores how recovery, reuse, and long-term stewardship are already taking shape.
Cleanup and recovery go together
Cleanup is not the final chapter — it is the foundation.
By addressing contamination, Superfund makes it possible to:
- restore waterways
- create safe public spaces
- reconnect communities to land and water
- support ecological recovery
Recovery does not wait until "everything is finished." It happens alongside cleanup, informed by careful planning and long-term monitoring.
How Superfund decisions are made →
Warm Springs Ponds — A Working Landscape
The Warm Springs Ponds were built to capture mine tailings before they entered the Clark Fork River. Over time, they have also become an important wildlife habitat and recreation area.
Today, the ponds and surrounding wetlands support:
- migratory birds
- waterfowl
- raptors
- native vegetation
Trails around the ponds are used by walkers, bikers, and birders. Ongoing remediation planning considers both environmental protection and public use.
Warm Springs Ponds cleanup and ecology →
Silver Bow Creek Greenway Trail
The Silver Bow Creek Greenway Trail follows the restored creek corridor from Butte toward the Warm Springs Ponds.
The trail:
- connects neighborhoods
- follows reconstructed waterways
- passes through reclaimed floodplains
- supports walking, biking, and community use
Much of the trail is already complete and heavily used. Additional segments continue to be planned and constructed as cleanup progresses.
Silver Bow Creek Greenway Trail →
Community trails and open space
Beyond the Greenway, cleanup has supported or enabled:
- the Copperway trail system
- trails on remediated waste rock areas
- neighborhood parks and open spaces
- access points to historic and scenic areas
These spaces reflect a balance between safety, access, and respect for ongoing remediation needs.
Stormwater ponds as public amenities
Stormwater ponds are being constructed in parts of Butte to capture runoff, reduce metals entering waterways, and protect Silver Bow Creek.
These ponds are also being designed as:
- wetlands
- green space
- walking paths
- neighborhood amenities
They show how infrastructure can serve both environmental and community goals.
Parks, history, and civic spaces
Cleanup has helped support:
- preservation of historic headframes
- interpretive signage
- memorials and overlooks
- performance and gathering spaces
These places connect Butte's mining history with its present and future — acknowledging the past while creating shared spaces for the community.
What does "post-cleanup" really mean?
In a large, complex site like this one, "post-cleanup" does not mean:
- no monitoring
- no management
- no restrictions anywhere
It means:
- risks are controlled
- systems are in place
- oversight continues
- land can be used safely and appropriately
Recovery is an ongoing relationship with the land.
Looking ahead
The landscape around Butte and Silver Bow Creek has already changed dramatically — and it will continue to change.
Cleanup, recovery, and stewardship are not endpoints. They are commitments over time.
What comes next will be shaped by:
- science
- community values
- careful planning
- long-term care