Whitewood Creek stretches 18 miles across Lawrence, Meade, and Butte counties in South Dakota. Gold mining operations that began in the 1870s discharged millions of tons of mine tailings into the creek. That left arsenic in soil, solid waste, groundwater, and surface water throughout the site. EPA added Whitewood Creek to the National Priorities List on September 8, 1983, and deleted it on August 13, 1996, after cleanup was complete.
The cleanup focused on removing the most direct risks to people living nearby. Workers excavated 4,500 cubic yards of contaminated soil from 16 residential yards between 1991 and 1993 and disposed of it in an on-site landfill. The selected remedy also included institutional controls and ongoing surface water monitoring. In late 1993 and early 1994, Butte, Meade, and Lawrence counties adopted ordinances that ban new residential or commercial construction on tailings deposits, restrict development in tailings-affected areas, and prohibit removing or using tailings outside designated zones.
Human exposure is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Contaminated groundwater is stabilized in the original area of contamination and is not discharging at unacceptable levels to surface water. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status on June 22, 2006. The most recent five-year review, completed July 20, 2022, confirmed that cleanup actions continue to protect human health and the environment in the short term. Long-term protectiveness still requires revegetation of the disposal area and repair of properties where geofabric has been breached. The next five-year review is estimated between July and September 2027.
The creek now supports residential, recreational, and agricultural use. Local residents have farmed and raised livestock along the creek for more than 40 years, and the banks have been re-vegetated to support ranchland. Community members also use the creek for irrigation, livestock watering, and recreation. Anyone with questions about the site can contact the EPA Remedial Project Manager or the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources project manager. Site records are available at the Whitewood Public Library in Whitewood or at the EPA Superfund Records Center in Denver, Colorado.
