During the cretaceous period, that area that is now Montana was studded with volcanos. As magma rose up, it brought along metals, such as copper, gold, and silver, and formed the Anaconda vein system. Millions of years later, humans would begin mining there. But until then, what would become the most important thing about this area lay hidden beneath the surface. It was home to thousands of species throughout the years, all with no awareness that it would later be completely contaminated by humans. Butte, Montana began as a mining camp in the 1860s. It is located in he northern Rocky Mountains. Originally, miners sought after gold and silver. After the advent of electricity, the focus shifted to copper, which was valuable for its use in wires. What is now known as the Berkley Pit began in 1948 as part of a copper mining operation by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. It began with underground mining, and the main entrance to The Greater Butte Project was called The Kelley Shaft. At 38 feet long and 90 feet wide, it was one of the largest mine shafts in the U.S. at the time. 1955 marked the transition from underground mining to open pit mining. Open pit mining is safer and more economical than underground mining. It’s name comes from an older mine that it eventually overtook. In 1960 the Anaconda company begins forcing people to relocate from Meaderville to The Flats in Butte in order to continue expanding the mine eastward. By 1970, more than 275,000 tons of material is removed from the pit each day; 20% copper ore and 80% waste material. In 1974 the Anaconda company closes the last underground mine. By 1977 one ton of material from the mine yields only 3.25 pounds of copper. In 1982, mining operations are suspended. The pumps that were working non-stop to keep the pit from filling with water are turned off on Earth Day. In 1983, other mining operations stop, and their surface flows are diverted into the Berkeley Pit, increasing the rate at which the Berkeley Pit fills with water. The wastes from mining mix to form a toxic lake full of heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, zinc, lead, and copper. The pH of the pit is 2.5, the same as lemon juice. In 1987 it is declared a federal Superfund site, and in 1994 a clean-up plan is issued by the EPA. In November 1995, a flock of geese are making their yearly journey south, and get caught in a storm. They stop and land in a lake that maybe looks a little strange, but what could go wrong? It’s just water, and it’s free from the hustle and bustle of humans, and there’s no predators around. It’s somewhat sheltered from the wind, and seems like a great place to stop. The heavy metals and sulfuric acid in the water take their toll on the geese. It burns their throats, stomachs, and intestines. On November 14th, 149 dead geese are found. After scientists realized that the older carcasses have been dyed rusty brown by the water and we’re counted in the original death toll, the number is raised to 342. The owners of the pit, ARCO, say that the geese died from an aspergillosis infection, which is a fungus commonly found on grains. Of course it wasn’t from the pit, how could it be? It was just a coincidence that hundreds of dead birds were found in the toxic stew, right? Water from Horseshoe Bend begins being diverted in 1996 to slow the speed at which the pit fills. In 2003 a treatment plant is built to treat this water, with the intention of eventually treating water from the pit itself. Between 1996 and 2001, only 75 birds died as a result of the Berkeley pit. Only 14 bird deaths were recorded between 2010 and 2013. In late November 2016, ten thousand snow geese are pushed towards Butte, Montana due to a snowstorm during a delayed migration due to a warm autumn.They land in the unfrozen Berkeley pit for safety, just as they had in 1995. ARCO employees try fruitlessly throughout the night to scare away the geese using flashing lights and loud noises. But just as before, the toxic metals and acids take their toll on the geese. 3,000 to 4,000 geese die, not only in the pit, but also in the surrounding areas, as a result of injuries sustained from the acidity of the pit. This second wave draws national attention to the dangers of pit mining and the havoc it can cause in the environment. After this second geese massacre, ARCO begins doubling down on efforts to keep geese out of the pit, likely to avoid fines that may be as much as $5,000 per bird. Sonic booms reverberate across the pond. Sounds of predators and rock and roll music blare. Shotgun bullets hit the water near birds to startle them away. Cannons with long range motion sensors. A remote controlled boat roams the pond, until the battery dies quickly and it remains stranded. And it works. But it is expensive and time consuming to protect the world from humankind’s presence. It is not a war of humans versus geese, though it might appear so upon first glance, with all the guns and cannons. We’re protecting them in the only way we know how, which just looks like violence. This massacre forces people to look more closely at how to solve the problem of the pit. The critical water level; the level where the pit will start seeping into the groundwater, will be reached by 2023 if nothing is done. The EPA declares that by then AMCO and MR must begin treating the water and pumping it out by 2023. For once, humans are ahead of the game. A $19 million dollar water treatment facility is built. The water goes through three layers of filters, then is chemically treated to remove heavy metals, then is treated with carbon dioxide to raise the pH to 7. In May 2019, water is released into Silver Bow Creek for the first time. The facility is equipped to handle up to 10 million gallons of water a day, nearly twice as much as what is currently required to keep the water level steady. One day, a chemist picked up a stick and noted that it was covered in algae. This wasn’t just a toxic uninhabitable cesspool. There was life. Life in extreme conditions has always been of interest to scientists, particularly for developing new ideas about life on other planets. Andrea and Don Stierle began studying the pit in 1996. They chose the Berkeley pit primarily because of its proximity, and because they didn’t have enough grant money to look somewhere further. They are in search of microorganisms that might be used to create drugs to treat illnesses such as cancer. The Stierles discovered one yeast of particular interest. It is a black and gooey slime that synthesizes the toxic metals in the water. This gives it potential for use in environmental remediation for places just like the pit it came from. And stranger still, it had only been found in one place prior to their discovery in the Berkeley pit. The rectums of geese. The introduction of geese into the pond has forever altered its ecosystem. In addition to this yeast, it also introduced a sudden influx of nutrients, perhaps allowing other life there to thrive. Due to the deterioration of the walls of the pit, it is now much more dangerous to get water samples, so the Stierles’ most recent sample is from 2003, though they say that they still have plenty to learn for their remaining samples. The Berkeley Pit remains a Superfund site, and today is also a tourist attraction with a viewing platform that you can pay $2 to access. It even has a gift shop. It has brought attention to the toxic waste that mining produces. It also raises questions about how humans should manage their messes. What will become of the pit once humans are no longer around to keep the water below the critical level? Will we ever be able to truly clean up the mine? What kinda of bacteria are lurking in it, and what use might they be to humans? “Drone, Fireworks and More Keep Birds out of the Berkeley Pit.” Youtube, KTVQ News, 27 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg8G1GxH7ho&list=PLFnUNSPeqsP40ydSwTwhtPuetToDs5lJN&index=65&t=0s . Duncan Adams Dec. 11, 1995 From the print edition Like Tweet Email Print Subscribe Donate Now. “1995: Did Toxic Stew Cook the Goose?” High Country News – Know the West, 11 Dec. 1995, www.hcn.org/issues/49/1520. Dunlap, Susan. “Perils of the Pit: 342 Geese Dead after Fateful Landing 20 Years Ago.” Montana Standard, 1 Sept. 2017, mtstandard.com/news/local/perils-of-the-pit-342-geese-dead-after-fateful-landing-20-years-ago/article_be1f51c6-b4e7-5979-92cb-c22825ed184b.html. Green, Hank. “7 Super Toxic U.S. Sites.” Youtube, Scishow, 28 Aug. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iHpZHOESf8 . Guarino, Ben. “Thousands of Montana Snow Geese Die after Landing in Toxic, Acidic Mine Pit.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/07/montana-snow-geese-searching-for-pond-land-in-toxic-mine-pit-thousands-die/. “History.” Pitwatch, 6 June 2019, pitwatch.org/history/. Saks, Nora. “Testing Begins On Berkeley Pit Water Treatment Facility.” MTPR, www.mtpr.org/post/testing-begins-berkeley-pit-water-treatment-facility. Stierle, Andrea. “Extremophiles: The Berkeley Pit's Silver Lining?” MTPR, www.mtpr.org/post/extremophiles-berkeley-pits-silver-lining. Ugc. “The Berkeley Pit.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 22 Feb. 2010, www.atlasobscura.com/places/berkeley-pit.
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