Document ID: EPA-HQ-RCRA-2006-0097-0026
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2006-04-04T04:00Z

1
FACT
SHEET
EPA
Region
7
Introduction
The
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
Region
7
is
providing
this
fact
sheet
as
a
public
guidance
on
mine
waste
usage
in
the
states
of
Missouri
and
Kansas.
Some
residual
wastes
from
mining
are
a
commercial
commodity
and
have
been
used
for
many
years.
Proper
use
of
the
wastes
can
reduce
some
threats
to
the
environment
and
to
human
health
that
currently
exist.
Removing
mining
waste
piles
can
also
bring
non­
productive
land
back
to
beneficial
and
safe
use.
However,
improper
uses
of
mine
wastes
may
increase
the
threat
to
human
health
and
the
environment.
The
ultimate
use
of
the
material
should
not
allow
people,
and
in
particular
young
children,
to
come
into
contact
with
the
material
easily.

Site
Background
Historic
lead
and
zinc
mining
in
the
Midwest
was
centered
in
two
major
areas:
the
Tri­
State
area
covering
more
than
2,500
square
miles
in
southwestern
Missouri,
southeastern
Kansas,
and
northeastern
Oklahoma
and
the
Old
Lead
Belt
covering
about
110
square
miles
in
southeastern
Missouri.
The
first
recorded
mining
occurred
in
the
Old
Lead
Belt
in
about
1742.
The
production
increased
significantly
in
both
the
Tri­
state
area
and
the
Old
Lead
Belt
during
the
mid­
1800s
and
lasted
up
to
1970.
Currently
production
still
occurs
in
a
third
area,
the
Viburnum
Trend,
in
southeastern
Missouri.
Mining
and
milling
of
ore
produced
more
than
500
million
tons
of
wastes
in
the
Tri­
State
area
and
about
250
million
tons
of
wastes
in
the
Old
Lead
Belt.
More
than
75
percent
of
the
waste
has
been
removed
and
used
for
many
purposes
over
the
years.
Today,
approximately
100
million
tons
of
waste
remain
in
the
Tri­
State
area
and
60
million
tons
in
the
Old
Lead
Belt.
The
EPA
Region
7,
the
states
of
Kansas
and
Missouri,
local
communities,
and
private
companies
are
working
together
to
seek
solutions
to
the
potential
adverse
impacts
of
these
mine
wastes
which
are
contaminated
with
lead,
zinc,
cadmium,
and
other
metals.

Chat
and
Tailings
Ore
production
consisted
of
crushing
and
grinding
the
rock
to
standard
sizes
and
separating
the
ore.
Ore
processing
was
accomplished
in
either
a
dry
gravity
separation
or
through
a
wet
washing
or
flotation
separation.
Dry
processes
produced
a
fine
gravel
waste
commonly
called
"
chat."
The
2
wet
processes
resulted
in
the
creation
of
tailings
ponds
used
to
dispose
of
waste
material
after
ore
separation.
The
wastes
from
wet
separation
are
typically
sand
and
silt
size
and
are
called
"
tailings."
Milling
produces
large
chat
waste
piles
and
flat
areas
with
tailings
deposited
in
impoundments.
Tailings
generally
contain
higher
concentrations
of
heavy
metals
and
therefore
present
a
higher
risk
to
human
health
and
the
environment
through
ingestion.

Another
lesser
occurring
type
of
mine
waste
is
called
development
rock.
Development
rock
is
the
waste
rock
generated
in
drilling
shafts
to
the
deep
mines
and
therefore
did
not
come
from
the
major
ore
producing
rocks.
Typically,
development
rock
consists
of
large
boulders
and
is
locally
known
as
"
bullrock."
Smelters
also
operated
historically
in
Kansas,
Missouri,
and
Oklahoma;
however,
this
fact
sheet
does
not
address
smelter
related
wastes.

Legal
Considerations
If
waste
material
is
used
in
a
way
that
creates
a
threat
to
human
health
or
the
environment,
the
owner
of
the
property
and
the
party
responsible
for
creating
the
hazardous
situation
could
be
liable
for
a
cleanup
under
the
Superfund
law.
Because
these
mine
wastes
often
contain
lead,
cadmium,
zinc
or
other
metal
contaminants
at
levels
that
present
a
risk
to
both
human
health
and
the
environment,
using
them
in
situations
that
would
allow
people
or
ecological
receptors
(
animals,
plants,
fish,
etc.)
to
regularly
come
into
contact
with
the
material
could
result
in
unacceptable
situations
which
could
be
considered
a
Superfund
problem.
The
property
owners,
haulers,
operators,
and
individuals
or
businesses
that
sell,
buy,
or
use
mine
waste
materials
must
ensure
they
are
using
the
materials
in
a
manner
that
prevents
direct
contact
by
humans
and
other
receptors
and
is
not
detrimental
to
the
environment.

Typical
uses
The
EPA
and
the
states
of
Kansas
and
Missouri
are
willing
to
provide
assistance
in
reviewing
specific
uses
of
mine
wastes
but
have
no
formal
approval
procedures.
The
following
is
a
list
of
typical
uses
of
mine
wastes
with
a
general
assessment
of
whether
or
not
the
use
may
result
in
significant
human
health
or
environmental
threats.
The
list
represents
EPA
Region
7'
s
views
on
acceptable
and
unacceptable
uses
of
mine
wastes.

Mine
waste
uses
that
are
not
likely
to
present
a
threat
to
human
health
or
the
environment:

Applications
that
bind
material
into
a
durable
product.
These
would
include
its
use
as
an
aggregate
in
batch
plants
preparing
asphalt
and
concrete.

Applied
below
paving
on
asphalt
or
concrete
roads
and
parking
lots.

Applications
that
cover
the
material
with
clean
material
particularly
in
areas
that
are
not
likely
to
ever
be
used
for
residential
or
public
area
development.
Examples
would
include
spreading
chat
around
utility
pipe
in
excavated
trenches,
or
placing
chat
as
deep
fill
on
commercial
sites.
3

Applications
that
use
the
material
as
raw
product
for
manufacturing
a
safe
product,
such
as
in
manufacturing.

Mine
waste
uses
that
may
present
a
threat
to
human
health
or
the
environment:

Playground
sand
or
surface
material
in
play
areas.

Driveways,
parking
lots
and
roadways
including
roadway
shoulders
that
are
not
paved.

Residential
usages
in
general.
The
placement
in
a
residential
setting
could
cause
a
problem
in
the
future
if
an
unknowing
person
excavated
the
material
and
allowed
it
to
be
re­
exposed.
Also,
construction
of
residential
homes
or
public
use
areas,
such
as
parks
or
playgrounds
on
or
very
near
mine
waste
piles
may
result
in
unacceptable
exposures.

Placement
in
public
areas
in
which
children
play
such
as
parks
and
school
grounds.

Placement
of
fill
material
which
comes
in
contact
with
free­
standing
water
in
an
excavation
or
with
surface
water.

Sandblasting.

Use
as
an
agricultural
soil
amendment
to
adjust
soil
alkalinity.

Additional
Information
If
you
would
like
additional
information
about
this
fact
sheet
or
Superfund
mining
sites
in
Kansas
or
Missouri,
please
contact
the
EPA
Region
7'
s
Office
of
External
Programs,
901
N.
5th
Street,
Kansas
City,
Kansas
66101,
1­
913­
551­
7003,
or
toll­
free,
in
Kansas
and
Missouri,
1­
800­
223­
0425.