Black Butte Mine

⚠ Superfund · Listed on NPL

In 2018 and 2019, EPA and our construction contractors worked in the Furnace Creek area of the Black Butte Mine site, excavating mercury-containing mine tailings and contaminated soils/sediment for safe disposal in an on-site repository. Removing the mine tailings eliminated a significant source of mercury contamination at the site.

Location

CityCottage Grove
CountyLane County
StateOregon
Coordinates43.57952, -123.06681

Contaminated media

Cleanup timeline

  1. Initial Assessment Completed — 04/17/1996
  2. Proposed to the National Priorities List — 09/23/2009
  3. Finalized on the National Priorities List — 03/04/2010
  4. Remedial Investigation Started — 05/03/2012
  5. Remedy Selected — Estimated Aug - Oct 2028
  6. Remedial Action Started — Not Yet Achieved
  7. Construction Completed — Not Yet Achieved
  8. Deleted from National Priorities List — Not Yet Achieved
  9. Most Recent Five-Year Review — Not Yet Achieved
  10. Achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Reuse — Not Yet Achieved

EPA references

Other Superfund sites in Lane County

Understanding this Superfund site

Black Butte Mine is a federal Superfund site in Oregon. The Superfund program, created by Congress in 1980, addresses sites where hazardous substances have been released or threaten release into the environment. EPA scores potential sites using the Hazard Ranking System; those that score high enough are placed on the National Priorities List.

Current status: Listed on NPL. This site is on EPA's National Priorities List, which identifies the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. Listing triggers federal cleanup authority and funding under CERCLA (the Superfund law).

Contamination has been detected in soil, sediment, surface water.

If you live near this site and have health concerns, your state health department can provide site-specific guidance. EPA maintains a community involvement program for most NPL sites, and site documents — including the Record of Decision, five-year reviews, and public health assessments — are typically available through EPA's Superfund site profile.