Tar Creek Superfund site
Tar Creek Superfund site is a United States Superfund site located in Picher and Cardin, Oklahoma. Chat piles left behind by the mining companies contain lead dust that has blown around the city. Elevated lead levels in Picher children have led to learning disabilities and other problems. The lead and zinc have also seeped into groundwater, ponds, and lakes, many of which still are used by children for swimming. Since the children of Picher have been found to have elevated levels of lead in their bodies, the EPA has since declared Picher to be one of the most toxic areas in the United States.[1][2] The Tar Creek Superfund site is the Oklahoma section of three sites that together encompass the Tri-State district. This is an old lead and zinc mining district that was spread across southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma.
Documentary Film
The Tar Creek Superfund site was the subject of a documentary named Tar Creek. This documentary came out in 2009 and was written, directed, and narrated by Matt Myers. The film covers the gamut of the issues surrounding the Tar Creek Superfund site, including lead poisoning, mine waste, acid mine water, sinkholes, governmental racism of the Quapaw Tribe, the downstream expansion of the superfund site, and the eventual federal buyout of the citizens.
During the Fall of 2010, Tar Creek toured to many of the nation's existing Superfund sites as part of the Superfund Screening Tour. Universities, organizations, churches, and schools used the story of Tar Creek to have a discussion about what could happen in their communities.
See also
References
- ^ "Pollution busts Okla. mining town" - Associated Press - (c/o MSNBC) - May 10, 2008
- ^ Juozapavicius, Justin. - "Oklahoma Town Is Toxic Waste Site" - Associated Press - (c/o San Francisco Chronicle-SFGate.com) - February 27, 2007
External Links
- Tar Creek Tar Creek Documentary website