Redevelopment of Contaminated Sites in South Dakota
In the heart of Lawrence County, South Dakota, nestled amidst the Black Hills, lies the Gilt Edge Mine Superfund site. This location, at the headwaters of Strawberry Creek and Bear Butte Creek, has a rich history dating back to 1876 when mining and mineral processing operations began.
Over the years, mining activities contaminated surface water and groundwater with acidic water containing heavy metals. Consequently, the EPA took action, addressing immediate threats by running a mine water treatment system, capping contamination at Ruby Gulch Waste Rock Dump, and installing recovery trenches for groundwater monitoring.
The last mine operator at the Gilt Edge Mine site abandoned operations in 1999, and the EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000. Remedy construction finished in 1994, and the Williams Pipe Line Co. Disposal Pit Superfund site, located nearby in Sioux Falls, was taken off the NPL in 1999.
As of December 2024, the Gilt Edge Mine site remains in continued industrial use. One on-site business employs 10 people and generates an estimated $5,879,000 in annual sales revenue. Additionally, two seasonal residential properties are also present on the site.
Superfund cleanups can have mixed economic effects locally. While they create short-term job opportunities through cleanup contracts, they may also impose long-term land use restrictions that could limit certain commercial or industrial developments. However, due to a lack of up-to-date, site-specific economic impact studies or local business data, it is challenging to quantify the current economic influence precisely.
In 2017, the EPA began removing mine waste from source areas and consolidating it in the open mine pits on the Gilt Edge Mine site. The companies that previously stored and conveyed liquid fertilizers and petroleum products at the facility are unknown.
The Williams Pipe Line Co. Disposal Pit site, where the Great Lakes Pipeline company opened a facility in 1945, was also added to the NPL in 1990. Activities at the facility contaminated groundwater with hazardous chemicals. The Williams Pipeline Company purchased the property in 1966, and the Magellan Pipeline Company currently owns it.
In December 2021, the Gilt Edge Mine site was among those selected by EPA to receive cleanup funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As the cleanup continues, the economic impact on local businesses in Lawrence County will likely evolve.
For precise and current data on the economic impact, consulting Lawrence County economic development reports, EPA Superfund community impact assessments, or local business associations' studies would be necessary.
- The contamination of surface water and groundwater at the Gilt Edge Mine Superfund site, due to mining activities and mineral processing operations, was addressed by the EPA with a mine water treatment system, capping contamination, and groundwater monitoring.
- Although Superfund cleanups create short-term job opportunities under cleanup contracts, they may also impose long-term land use restrictions, potentially limiting certain commercial or industrial developments.
- In 2017, the EPA removed mine waste from source areas and consolidated it in the open mine pits on the Gilt Edge Mine site, but the companies responsible for storing and conveying liquid fertilizers and petroleum products at the facility are unknown.
- The Williams Pipe Line Co. Disposal Pit site, where the Great Lakes Pipeline company opened a facility in 1945, was also added to the NPL in 1990 due to groundwater contamination with hazardous chemicals.
- The economic impact of the continuing cleanup at the Gilt Edge Mine site on local businesses in Lawrence County will likely evolve, as recent resources such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provide cleanup funding.
