Berkeley Pit

E790403

Berkeley Pit is a former open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, now a highly acidic, contaminated lake and a notable environmental Superfund site.

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Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Superfund site
open-pit copper mine
toxic lake
closureReason declining copper prices
high operating costs
contaminant arsenic
cadmium
copper
heavy metals
sulfuric acid
zinc
country United States of America
surface form: United States
county Silver Bow County, Montana NERFINISHED
createdBy expansion of underground mining operations to open-pit mining
designatedAsSuperfund 1983
economicRole major copper producer during mid-20th century
endDate 1982
environmentalImpact long-term water contamination
wildlife mortality
environmentalStatus U.S. EPA Superfund site
floodingBegan 1982
hasFeature viewing platform for tourists
location Butte, Montana NERFINISHED
managedBy Montana Department of Environmental Quality NERFINISHED
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency NERFINISHED
mineralExtracted copper
gold
molybdenum
silver
miningMethod open-pit mining
near downtown Butte, Montana
notableEvent mass death of snow geese in 1995
recurring bird mortality incidents
operatedBy Anaconda Copper Mining Company NERFINISHED
Atlantic Richfield Company NERFINISHED
ownedBy Atlantic Richfield Company NERFINISHED
partOf Butte mining district NERFINISHED
Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site NERFINISHED
remediationPlan Berkeley Pit water treatment system NERFINISHED
replaced part of the historic Butte Hill neighborhood
risk potential contamination of regional groundwater
potential overflow into surrounding waterways
startDate 1955
state Montana NERFINISHED
threatens Clark Fork River NERFINISHED
Silver Bow Creek NERFINISHED
touristAttraction yes
waterColor reddish-brown
waterLevel monitored and controlled
waterpH highly acidic
waterType acid mine drainage

Referenced by (1)

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Butte, Montana hasLandmark Berkeley Pit