BUTTE — It was on April 22, 1982, when they shut off the pumps in the Berkeley Pit, causing the toxic water in the pit to start to rise. And it was just six years ago when they started pumping treated water from the pit into a spot on Silver Bow Creek to try to stem the rising toxic water.
“At this point, the pit has not risen, while it was rising six to seven feet a year. It stayed steady state,” said Mike McGivern of Montana Resources.
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Since 2019, Montana Resources has treated and pumped 9 billion gallons of pit water into Silver Bow Creek. In that time, they’ve taken more than 14,000 samples of the pumped water, and it meets the state’s water quality level.
“Very successful, very happy with the current outcome,” said McGivern.
The pumping has kept the pit water level at 5,356 feet, which is below the protected level of 5,410 feet. Anything above that could cause pit water to seep into groundwater.
“If we stop pumping now completely, it would take another four and a half years to reach that protective level, so there’s a strong buffer beneath that protective level at this point,” he said.
Some concerned citizens, like Fritz Daily, applaud Montana Resources' current efforts but worry about the future.
“What’s going to happen 10 years down the road or 20 years down the road? Eventually, the mine’s going to close. There’s no question,” said Daily.
Atlantic-Richfield Co. is responsible for maintaining the pit along with Montana Resources. They are also responsible for the cleanup along the Silver Bow Creek Corridor.
“They’re forever decisions and they have forever consequences, and so it’s imperative that we do things right today,” said Daily.
Montana Resources assures the pit will be maintained from now and into the future.
“We sometimes think we’re a water plant with mining as a side hobby, because it is a big project that takes a lot of resources,” said McGivern.
