| Abstract |
The Whitewood Creek site is a mine tailings deposit area near the town of Whitewood in Lawrence, Mead, and Butte counties, South Dakota. From 1877 to 1977, arsenic-rich tailings from gold and ore mining and milling operations, conducted by the Homestake Mining Company, were discharged directly into Whitewood Creek. Residential soil contains arsenic contamination as a result of a building in the tailings area. The selected remedial action for the site includes removing and/or covering frequently used areas with clean surface soil (arsenic <20 mg/kg) in residential areas with arsenic levels above 100 mg/kg followed by disposal of the arsenic-contaminated soil, if approved by EPA, and revegetation of the remediated area; soil sampling at all remediated areas to confirm that arsenic levels are below 100 mg/kg. EPA is invoking ARAR waivers based on the technical impracticability of remediating contaminated ground and surface waters. The estimated present worth cost for the remedial action is $882,813, which includes an annual O and M cost of $12,000 for years 1-5 and $6,000 for years 6-30. |
