Meade County officials are considering special zoning to protect Ellsworth Air Force Base and the area around Bear Butte.
County commissioners have tried to establish zoning in the past, but they failed because of strong opposition. A new state law allows special zoning areas of at least five square miles.
Meade County Equalization Director Kirk Chaffee says Ellsworth needs to be protected to secure the future of the air base. He says a special one-mile zone on either side of the runway would ensure that the area doesn't become too populated.
Bear Butte is being considered for special zoning because the peak is sacred to American Indian tribes, and they're upset about encroachment by campgrounds and concerts that operate during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
And.....for more information, see the web site below:
Ellsworth Air Force Base: Listed on NPL 8/90
History of Ellsworth Air Force Base
Cold War activities at Ellsworth Air Force Base have resulted in contamination at the Base and private land beyond the Base boundaries. The Air Force, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the State of South Dakota have worked as partners to clean up Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Base Established in 1942
Ellsworth Air Force Base (EAFB) is a U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command installation located 6 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota, adjacent to the small community of Box Elder. EAFB covers approximately 4,858 acres within Meade and Pennington Counties, and includes runways, airfield operations, industrial areas, and housing and recreational facilities. The Base is surrounded by agricultural land, a few private residences, and light commercial activities.
EAFB was officially activated in July 1942 as the Rapid City Army Air Base, a training facility for B-17 bomber crews. It became a permanent facility in 1948 with the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing as its host unit.
Historically, EAFB has been the headquarters of operations for a variety of aircraft, as well as the Titan I Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system and the Minuteman missile system. Presently, the 28th Bombardment Wing (B-1B bombers) is the host unit of EAFB.
Site Listed in 1990
The EPA added EAFB to its National Priorities List (NPL) on August 30, 1990. The NPL is a published list of hazardous waste sites in the U.S. that are eligible for extensive, long-term cleanup action under the Superfund program.
Studies identified hazardous substances in 12 general areas of the Base, including landfills, a fire protection training area, spill sites, industrial areas, weapons storage area, and an explosive ordnance disposal area. The most abundant contaminants detected on-Base are solvents and jet fuels. These contaminants are located in both the soil and ground water at certain areas of the Base.
In addition, some of the ground-water contaminants have moved beyond the Base boundary to the east and south at low concentrations, but still at levels above regulatory drinking water standards. Depending on the amount of contamination, continued use of the contaminated ground water over long periods for household purposes, particularly as drinking water, may pose unacceptable health risks.
Construction Completed
The Air Force has installed cleanup systems to address potential future health risks. Construction of cleanup systems is complete at the 12 areas where contamination was found. The cleanup systems include ground-water pump-and-treat systems, landfill covers, soil treatment systems, and excavation activities. In addition, the Air Force is providing clean drinking water to private residences adjacent to the Base, whose drinking water wells have been contaminated.
Cleanup is complete at the landfills. The Air Force capped landfills to ensure that the waste will not be disturbed and to ensure that contaminants will not get to the underlying ground water.
Where the groundwater is already contaminated, the cleanup systems are in place. Ground water is pumped out of the ground, treated to drinking water standards, and then discharged to a local drainage, to the Base wastewater treatment plant, or injected back underground into the aquifer. An area to the east of the Base is being evaluated to determine the need to supply additional residences with an alternative clean water supply.
These ground-water cleanup systems will be in operation for approximately 10 to 20 years. This represents the time it will take to clean up the contaminated ground water. The relatively low levels of contamination in off-Base areas are expected to dissipate within the same relative time frame.
All the cleanup activities are being performed by the Air Force. Officials from EPA and the State of South Dakota provide oversight to ensure the cleanup meets all regulatory requirements.
For More Information
If you would like detailed information about the cleanup at EAFB, you can review documents at the following locations:
The Administrative Record Building
2103 Scott Drive
Ellsworth AFB, SD 57706-4711
The EAFB Information Repository
Rapid City Public Library
Rapid City, SD 57701
Gilt Edge Mine: Listed on NPL 12/00About the Site
The Gilt Edge mine near Deadwood, is located about five miles east of Lead, in the headwaters of cold water fisheries and municipal water supplies of the northern Black Hills. It is a 260-acre, open-pit, cyanide heap leach gold mine that encountered sulfidic ore and waste during mining. After mining was shut down, the operator became insolvent, leaving 150 million gallons of acidic, heavy metal-laden water in three open pits. The immediate need is to treat this water, and then to close the mine by capping 12 million cubic yards of acid generating waste rock minimizing the generation of more acid water and the long-term treatment of acid water.
Site Description and History
Mining for gold, copper, and tungsten has been conducted in this small mining district since 1876. About a century ago, a series of small underground mines operated and left behind metal-laden mill tailings in Strawberry and Bear Butte Creeks, which impacted water quality significantly.
Early testing by Brohm Mining Corporation's (BMC) predecessor indicated that acid generating material would not be a problem. Therefore, under a state mining permit, BMC, in 1988, began developing two open pits, a large cyanide heap leach pad, and a 12 million cubic yard valley-fill waste rock dump, as well as other operations. During construction and operation, BMC cleaned up a lot of the historical tailings both on and off-site. Mining continued until the permitted reserve was mined out in 1992.
Acid mine drainage was confirmed emanating from BMC's waste dump in 1993. At that time, the state issued BMC a notice of violation and order and required BMC to prepare a mine permit amendment to address the acid mine drainage issue and to increase the reclamation bond. BMC's parent corporation was experiencing financial difficulties at that time, which ultimately resulted in a financial reorganization in Canada in 1993. With no cash flow from gold production, the best the state could get out of BMC and its parent was an additional $1 million for the reclamation bond and a promissory note for the rest.
From 1993 to 1995, BMC planned for a new mine adjacent to the Gilt Edge mine called Anchor Hill. This mine was to provide the cash flow and construction materials needed to close the Gilt Edge mine. The state permitted the Anchor Hill mine in 1996, but with conditions designed to increase the cash reclamation bond. These conditions increased the cash bond to over $6 million before permitted reserves on private land were mined out in 1997 and mining had to cease again. The remainder of the Anchor Hill project depended on U.S. Forest Service approval because 12 acres of the pit were on U.S. Forest Service land. Due to appeals of the U.S. Forest Service approval and lack of financing, the company notified the state that it would abandon the property in 1998. Governor William J. Janklow took BMC to the 8th Circuit Court and was successful in getting both a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction issued that prevented BMC from abandoning the mine. Meanwhile, environmental groups sued BMC for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act. In 1999, a creditor that had been providing limited funding to maintain operations at BMC in hopes of getting U.S. Forest Service approval refused to provide additional funding, and BMC's parent filed for bankruptcy in Canada in July 1999.
Governor Janklow averted a discharge of acid water by authorizing the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to pay for water treatment from the state's Regulated Substance Response Fund. In February 2000, Governor Janklow requested that EPA Region VIII propose the site for the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) and provide immediate emergency response and long-term remedial cleanup.
The Gilt Edge site has been proposed for NPL listing on May 11, 2000. Final Listing may occur in July or October 2000. Region VIII Emergency Response and Remedial Response Programs are preparing to provide interim water treatment operations and beginning remedial investigations and cleanup feasibility studies.
Contaminants
Sulfide waste rock and exposed sulfide zones in the mine pits generate leachates to surface and ground water which contain heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. Elevated nitrates and sulfates are also present in heap leach residues. The Remedial investigation will determine the extent of risk presented for both humans and ecological receptors. The acidity and metals such as copper and zinc, appear to be the major toxicants presenting risks to the aquatic habitats of Bear Butte Creek.
Remediation
DENR has operated and maintained the water treatment plant on site since July 1999. EPA is currently preparing to take over the water treatment operations under emergency removal authorities. EPA is also preparing to start capping actions on the ruby waste rock dump.
As we know, the fight to stop the biker bars from descrating Sacred Bear Butte did not have the outcome we all hoped, but the determination of the People to preserve and protect Sacred sites has not weakened. (notation: My Two Beads Worth). For more information please see: