Butte Reaches Superfund Milestone, Releasing Berkeley Pit Water Into Silver Bow Creek
This week, for the first time ever, once toxic water from the Berkeley Pit, the abandoned open pit copper mine in Butte, is being treated and released into the headwaters of the Clark Fork River.
Its Monday afternoon and Im standing on the banks of Silver Bow Creek in the center of Butte with Ron Halsey, an operations manager for Atlantic Richfield. Were watching an endless rush of clear water cascade through a man-made rock wall into the stream, which is one of the headwaters of the Clark Fork River.
"Seeing the water come out of the rocks there, and having discharge to the creek has been very the best part of the day so far," Halsey says.
Hes in high spirits because while theres no official ribbon cutting, or pomp and circumstance, were witnessing a historic milestone in Buttes Superfund cleanup.
https://www.mtpr.org/post/butte-reaches-superfund-milestone-releasing-berkeley-pit-water-silver-bow-creek