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Warm Springs Ponds Wildlife Management
Area
At the turn of the 20th century, waste from
the Butte mines was dumped into Silver Bow Creek and carried downstream
into the Clark Fork River. In the 1910s, tailings ponds were built on
Silver Bow Creek near Warm Springs to allow sediments and metals to settle
to the bottom of the ponds. The ponds were enlarged substantially in the
1950s. Beginning in 1967, lime was added to the ponds to increase the
system's ability to precipitate out metals. The pond system now contains
an estimated 19 million cubic yards of contaminated sediments. The Warm
Springs Ponds consist of the active area (Ponds 2 and 3) which is
currently treating water and the inactive area (Pond 1 and the area below
Pond 1) which is no longer used for treatment.
The Mill-Willow Bypass adjacent to the pond
system was used to pass relatively clean water or flood water around the
ponds. Tailings along the bypass channel were a major source of
contamination which caused fish kills in the upper Clark Fork River. Under
an administrative order on consent between EPA and ARCO in 1990, the
bypass was cleaned up and the channel reconstructed to enhance the
fishery.
All of the cleanup construction work for
the Warm Springs Ponds has been completed. On-going treatment of incoming
water will be necessary until Silver Bow Creek is cleaned up. Ecological
and water quality monitoring is also continuing.
Click HERE
to see some Panoramic Prints of the Warm Springs Ponds which are available
for sale |