South Dakota Superfund Site: Gilt Edge Mine
Fight Air Pollution & Water Pollution With an Environmental Toxic Tort Lawsuit

Do you need a Toxic Tort Attorney in The Sunshine State? The EPA has designated Gilt Edge Mine in South Dakota as a Superfund site due to its levels of environmental toxins and danger to the environment. You can read the report for the site below.

Some Superfund sites are on the National Priority Site Lists. The National Priorities List ("NPL") is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.

Sites are listed on the NPL upon completion of Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and after all comments have been addressed. EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the NPL.

Living near Superfund Sites in South Dakota may place you and your loved ones more vulnerable to developing a disease from proximity to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but there are steps you can take to fight back: The EPA says,

[We have] set up a "Post Construction Completion" (or PCC) strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.

Below you can read the EPA report for the Gilt Edge Mine Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has suffered due to toxic pollution in Gilt Edge Mine, or if your property has lost value because of contamination, you will need a toxic tort lawyer who knows the people of the State of South Dakota . Get started by filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within one day. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, click here to let them know about the environmental toxic tort attorneys at Weitz & Luxenberg.

Gilt Edge Mine

This site is not a Federal Facility.

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Gilt Edge Mine Clean Up Fact Sheet ABOUT THE SITE . . . The Gilt Edge Mine, near Deadwood, is located about 5 miles east of Lead, in the northern Black Hills, at the headwaters of cold-water fisheries and local water supplies. It is a 258-acre open pit, cyanide heap-leach gold mine, developed in sulfide (acid-generating) rock material. The operator went out of business, leaving behind 150 million gallons of acidic, heavy- metal-laden water in three open pits. Also left were millions of cubic yards of acid-generating waste rock that need cleanup and long-term treatment. BACKGROUND Mining operations for gold, copper and tungsten had been conducted in this small mining district since 1876. About a century ago, a series of small mines began dumping metal-laden mill tailings into Strawberry Creek and Bear Butte Creeks. By 1986, when the State permitted Brohm Mining Company (BMC) to conduct larger-scale open-pit mining, off-site receiving waters had been contaminated. Under a State mining permit, BMC developed three open pits, a large cyanide heap- leach pad, and a 12 million cubic yard valley-fill waste-rock dump, as well as other operations. BMC also did cleanup activities to address some historical tailings off site. Early permit applications had not mentioned acid-generating materials, but in fact, sulfidic heavy-metal-laden rock materials were abundant. During 1998-99, BMC had serious financial difficulty and told the State that it could not continue site controls. The South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) maintained necessary water-treatment operations at the site, using the State's Regulated Substance Response Fund until August 2000, when operations were turned over to EPA. In February 2000, the Governor of South Dakota requested that EPA Region 8 propose the site for the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) and provide emergency response, as well as long-term remedial cleanup. The site was proposed in May 2000. Final listing was announced in December 2000. CONTAMINANTS Sulfide waste rock and exposed ore zones (which generate leachates to surface and ground water) contain heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead and zinc. High levels of nitrates and sulfates are also present in heap-leach residues. The remedial investigation and risk assessment will determine the extent of risk presented for both humans and the environment. Copper, cadmium and zinc appear to be the major polluting risks to the habitats of Strawberry and Bear Butte Creeks. Containment and treatment of site water is necessary, since uncontrolled releases could threaten down- stream wells and local water supplies. REMEDIATION The Superfund Remedial Program has designated the following Operable Units (OU) as distinct management units in overall plan for the site: OU1 - Gilt Edge Mine site (the overall 258-acre area) OU2 - Interim Water Treatment Operations OU3 - Ruby Gulch Waste Rock Dump Cap Project (62 acres) EPA has conducted several feasibility studies and pilot tests and has published three Records of Decision (RODs). An Early-Action Interim Water-Treatment ROD enabled the Remedial Program to carry out site management, environmental controls and water treatment. Another Interim Water-Treatment ROD calls for conversion of the existing water-treatment plant to improve the process and further reduce metals. The Ruby Gulch Waste-Rock Repository and Cap ROD calls for regrading the waste-rock dump and placing a composite geomembrane cap and drainage/soil cover on it, using surplus materials from a nearby highway project. It will also put in place surface-water controls. These actions will greatly reduce the risk associated with acid rock drainage. Most recently, EPA evaluated methods for improving the efficiency of the current system. This resulted in a ROD that changes the water-treatment system to a new one, using lime in a high-density sludge process. These actions will reduce the long-term water-treatment costs for the State. < -- #BeginLibraryItem "/Library/GiltEdgeFooterNav.lbi" --> EPA Gilt Edge Links Site Management Plan Gilt Edge at a Glance EPA Gilt Edge Home < -- #EndLibraryItem -->

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source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Act Now! It is essential that you inquire about your pollutant lawsuit as soon as possible. South Dakota law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. Your legal review is free and there is no commitment. You case will be evaluated immediately, so get started on your claim today!

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see also:

Ellsworth Air Force Base Environmental Pollution in South Dakota- Site: Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution

SD South Dakota Lawyer; Environmental Lawsuit
South Dakota Lawyer; Environmental Lawsuit