Case Studies of Hazardous Waste Management Success Stories

The Butte, Montana site was once home to the Anaconda Copper Mining Company smelter, which operated from 1880 to 1980. The smelter released large amounts of lead and other heavy metals into the environment, contaminating the soil, water, and air. In 1983, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the site as a Superfund site and began a cleanup effort. The cleanup involved removing contaminated soil and groundwater, and constructing a new water treatment plant. The site was declared clean in 2006.

The Times Beach, Missouri dioxin contamination incident was caused by the spraying of dioxin-contaminated oil on dirt roads to control dust. The oil was obtained from a waste oil company that had purchased it from a chemical company that had used it to manufacture Agent Orange, a defoliant used in the Vietnam War. The dioxin-contaminated oil was sprayed on the roads in Times Beach and several other towns in Missouri in 1971 and 1972. The EPA discovered the contamination in 1979 and evacuated the town. The cleanup involved removing the contaminated soil and rebuilding the town.

The Valley of the Drums site in Kentucky was a chemical waste landfill that operated from 1963 to 1973. The landfill received over 200,000 drums of chemical waste, including solvents, acids, and heavy metals. The drums were often stored improperly and leaked, contaminating the soil and groundwater. In 1979, the EPA designated the site as a Superfund site and began a cleanup effort. The cleanup involved removing the drums and contaminated soil, and constructing a new water treatment plant. The site was declared clean in 2001.

The Love Canal chemical dump incident involved the dumping of over 21,000 tons of chemical waste, including dioxin, into a canal in Love Canal, New York. The waste was dumped by Hooker Chemical Company from 1942 to 1953. In 1957, the canal was covered over and the land was sold to a developer who built homes on the site. The chemicals from the dump leaked into the homes and contaminated the soil, water, and air. In 1978, the EPA evacuated the residents of Love Canal and declared the site a Superfund site. The cleanup involved removing the contaminated soil and groundwater, and constructing a new water treatment plant. The site was declared clean in 2004.

The Uravan, Colorado site was once home to a uranium mill that operated from 1930 to 1984. The mill processed uranium ore to extract uranium for use in nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. The mill released large amounts of radioactive waste into the environment, contaminating the soil, water, and air. In 1986, the EPA designated the site as a Superfund site and began a cleanup effort. The cleanup involved removing contaminated soil and groundwater, and constructing a new water treatment plant. The site was declared clean in 2006.