Scientists Ready To Clean Up Tar Creek

By Chris Wright, The News On 6

PICHER, OK -- The much-anticipated cleanup of  the Tar Creek Superfund Site is nearly underway.  The abandoned mining area, near Picher, has caused health problems for decades.  The area is already in the midst of a federal buyout.  That has some asking why it is being cleaned up?

The government is obligated to clean up Tar Creek.  Also, the contaminated water does end up in other waterways, including Grand Lake.

The people may be moving out of the Tar Creek area, but the rust-colored water continues to flow in.  

For decades, that has been the problem at the nation's largest superfund site. Water, filled with contaminants, seeps up to the surface, and into the nearby creek.  But, University of Oklahoma engineers have spent years developing an ecological engineering project to put an end to that.

"The water that emerges from this system, and re-enters the watershed is at adequate quality level," said OU Dean of Engineering Dr. Tom Landers.

Scientists believe they have found the perfect spot for their work because it is one the major points of contamination in the Tar Creek area.  You can see part of the stream completely filled with lead, zinc and cadmium.

After picking the spot, the experts designed a series of ponds they say will naturally filter the contaminants out the groundwater.  That will send clean water into Tar Creek, which feeds into the Neosho River, which flows into Grand Lake.

"We are pretty confident. This technology has been around in different shapes and forms for about two decades," said OU Associate Professor Dr. Bob Nairn.

Contamination of ground water has caused problems for Tar Creek residents for much longer than that.  It even prompted a federal buyout of the area.  So, if this treatment system works, the engineers behind it say it will be extremely gratifying.

"I can't even describe how we feel seeing this system built," said Dr. Bob Nairn.

The engineers expect to begin filtering water later this month.  The project cost about  $3 million and was funded by the EPA.

OU says it has used their system in the coal fields of southern Oklahoma and it worked.