Environmental Mitigation

The Tar Creek Superfund Site Voluntary Buyout

Cinnabar Service Company is performing acquisition and implementing, by special Oklahoma legislation, a relocation assistance program for residents of one of the most environmentally disturbed areas in the United States. "Tar Creek" is the generic name of a 40-square mile area in Northeastern Oklahoma encompassing five small communities where heavy mining for lead and zinc was conducted from 1891 to 1970. Over the mining period, more than 1.7 million tons of lead and 8.8 million tons of zinc were removed from the field in the town of Picher, Oklahoma alone.

The mining activity left many hazards on the land:

• 300 miles of underground tunnels
• 165 million tons of chat piles (tailings) spread over the entire site
• Over 1,320 mine shafts,
• Thousands of drill holes, and
• Acid mine water contains high concentrations of heavy metals including lead, cadmium and zinc that began discharging into nearby Tar Creek in 1979.

The site is listed number one on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), due in part to a 1993 study which showed that blood lead levels (BLL) were above regulatory limits in an alarming percentage of the children in the area.

Cinnabar’s acquisition and relocation program may ultimately involve as many as 800 residences, schools, churches and businesses conducted in two phases as funding is allocated.  As of the third quarter of 2009, Cinnabar has acquired almost 700 parcels from voluntary participants.

The relocation or “buy-out” option has been extremely controversial with residents, politicians and the general public. As with any relocation project, some residents want to be relocated to avoid the hazards present in the area while others don’t want to be displaced from their homes and the history and heritage of their communities. However, Cinnabar has significant experience dealing with high-profile and controversial projects.