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Sites in Reuse in South Dakota

Whitewood Creek
Site location map

The Whitewood Creek Superfund site covers an 18-mile stretch of Whitewood Creek in Lawrence, Meade, and Butte Counties, South Dakota. Since the 1870s, millions of tons of mine tailings have been discharged from gold mining operations, and deposited along the Whitewood Creek flood plain. This practice contaminated soil, ground water and surface water, before an impoundment was built to receive and confine the waste. In 1983, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup. EPA, the state and the Homestake Mining Company worked together to clean up the site. In 1995, EPA removed the site from the list. Today, local residents use the creek for irrigation, livestock, and recreation.

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