Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex CECRA Facility (UBMC)
History
The Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex (UBMC; also known as the Heddleston district) is an inactive mining district, which was mined intermittently from 1889 to the 1950s and explored intermittently up to the present. The UBMC is located in the headwaters of the Blackfoot River in a fairly remote location on and near national forest land, which is used by hunters and other recreationists. One residence with a domestic well is located on Beartrap Creek above the impoundment. Other residences are present within a few miles downstream of the mining area. The town of Lincoln is about 15 miles downstream.
The main workings at the UBMC are the Mike Horse, Anaconda, Carbonate, Edith, Mary P and Paymaster mines and a tailings impoundment on Beartrap Creek. Tailings are the materials created during processing. They are generally fine-grained and contain metals at levels that are toxic to human health and the environment. The historic mining and exploration activities in this area have resulted in numerous tailings and waste rock dumps. Seeps from the tailings and waste rock dumps along with acid mine drainage from old adits have contaminated surface water, sediments, soils and groundwater. Additional contamination exists due to the 1975 tailings impoundment failure that washed metal-laden tailings down the Beartrap Creek drainage and into the upper Blackfoot River.
Click map above for larger view of area descriptions.
Funding
In 2007, the Montana Legislature provided funding to conduct a remedial investigation at the UBMC. Funding became available on July 1, 2007. Documents relating to this project will be available for download and/or viewing on this page as they are finalized.
Settlement
The State of Montana and the US Forest Service successfully reached a settlement with ARCO and Asarco for environmental damages at the UBMC. More detail on the settlement can be found at the Montana Department of Justice, Natural Resource Damages Program (NRDP) website and in the Mike Horse Messenger. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will lead cleanup efforts in coordination with the Forest Service and Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP).
Information/Mailing List
DEQ, in coordination with Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) and the Forest Service, puts out the Mike Horse Messenger. If you would like to receive notification of publications or any other mailings on the UBMC from DEQ, you have two choices. 1.) To receive the information electronically, please use this ListServ option to enter your email information, or 2.) use this link to enter your address information and the mailings will be put in the mail to you.
