Tar Creek, now known as the Tar Creek Superfund site, is located in Ottawa County, OK. It was officially declared a superfund site in 1983, eighty three years after lead and zinc mining companies first began destroying the land. During their decades of mining, enormous chat piles that had been contaminated by the materials were left behind. It didn't take long for these toxic metals to seep into the solid and nearby bodies of water. As a result, children from the city of Picher have suffered from learning disabilities and a plethora of health concerns. According to the EPA, Picher is one of the most toxic areas in America.
The issue also has a racial dimension. Tar Creek land is a reservation owned by the Quapaw tribe of Oklahoma. The land was leased to mining companies, but government restrictions prohibited the Quapaw landowners from earning money off of the extracted material through royalties. The mining companies were negligent with regard to their ecological footprint as well, and pollution and contamination has led to negative health effects such as neurological damage in children and high rates of miscarriages.
Until recently, the Quapaw tribe has been excluded from remediation efforts. It is believed that the federal and state governments would have been quicker to restrict the virtually unregulated access mining companies had on the land, which would have mitigated the incredible problem the community is now facing.
The issue also has a racial dimension. Tar Creek land is a reservation owned by the Quapaw tribe of Oklahoma. The land was leased to mining companies, but government restrictions prohibited the Quapaw landowners from earning money off of the extracted material through royalties. The mining companies were negligent with regard to their ecological footprint as well, and pollution and contamination has led to negative health effects such as neurological damage in children and high rates of miscarriages.
Until recently, the Quapaw tribe has been excluded from remediation efforts. It is believed that the federal and state governments would have been quicker to restrict the virtually unregulated access mining companies had on the land, which would have mitigated the incredible problem the community is now facing.
Superfund site - polluted locations requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardous materials and contaminants. The designation of 'superfund site' was created under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980.
Chat pile - piles of toxic mine debris that has remained to contaminate the environment, often gathering in standing water or old mine shafts which are in danger of collapsing.
Chat pile - piles of toxic mine debris that has remained to contaminate the environment, often gathering in standing water or old mine shafts which are in danger of collapsing.