Current and past Mike Synar Award winners at the 2022 Tar Creek Conference
Thank You for an Outstanding Tar Creek Conference!
We want to extend our gratitude to our presenters, partners, and community members who came together after two years apart and helped make this year's conference a resounding success.
OKLAHOMA FLOODS THREATEN TO BRING
TOXIC WASTE STRAIGHT TO RESIDENTS’ BACKYARDS
Environmentalists in Ottawa County team up with community science nonprofit to map the Tar Creek floodplain, warning authorities and residents of health risks
OTTAWA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, OCTOBER 7, 2022 — For decades, the residents of Ottawa County, Oklahoma have contended with contaminated water, air, and soil from the Tar Creek Superfund Site, one of the oldest of these sites in the nation. New data released today shows that risks are even greater than previously thought. According to a comprehensive GIS map created by environmental justice organization Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency through support from science nonprofit American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange, huge piles of toxic mining waste currently lie within the Tar Creek floodplain, leaving the county even more vulnerable to heavy metals contamination.
“The town of Miami, Oklahoma will not exist if flooding increases — which it will,” said Rebecca Jim, Executive Director of LEAD Agency, which she founded with activist Earl Hatley in 1997 to educate and organize the community around environmental concerns. “This is a question of environmental justice.”
More than 120 years of active mining and unremediated contamination within the Tar Creek Superfund Site have led to a public health crisis among the area’s 31,200 residents, many of whom are low-income members of the region’s nine tribal nations. For decades, toxic mining waste has oozed heavy metals like lead, zinc, and cadmium into Tar Creek, which has made the list of the 10 most endangered rivers in the country for two years running. The contamination has led to confirmed cases of lead poisoning and other health issues among the local population. The former towns of Picher and Cardin took a federal buyout in 2010 and no longer exist; the towns that remain are in grave danger.
LEAD Agency’s new map shows that when Tar Creek floods, the county not only suffers the impact of toxic creekwater, but also direct contamination from towers of toxic waste known as “chat,” which loom up to 200 feet over the landscape. The region has experienced increased flooding in recent years and will likely see more due to climate change.
The map project began in 2020, when Jim, a member of the Cherokee Nation, partnered with Thriving Earth Exchange to create a tool that could visually showcase what happens when Tar Creek floods. Jim’s primary collaborator was Community Science Fellow Jessica Tran, who worked with environmental scientists and cartographers to develop the interactive map that includes the specific locations of chat, aquifers, and groundwater wells, as well as the locations of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assessed properties. Tran and Jim hope the map will spur the EPA to clean up Tar Creek, and alert local residents to imminent risks.
“Homes that have been remediated may very well be re-contaminated, and climate change will continue to make things worse,” said Tran. “With more frequent and unpredictable flooding, we need to clean up Tar Creek, so it is safe for residents of Ottawa County.”
The link to the map will be released October 12. To make the information accessible to local residents who may not have internet access, LEAD Agency also plans to distribute a PDF version on flash drives at their annual Tar Creek Conference on October 12-13, at NEO College in Miami, Oklahoma. Held every year since 1998, the Tar Creek Conference brings together scientists, tribal leaders, government agencies, and local residents to discuss current environmental issues. Attendees this year will include federal and state environmental agencies, tribal officials, researchers, and community members.
For more information about the Tar Creek Conference, please visit leadagency.org.
About LEAD Agency
LEAD Agency is an environmental justice organization in northeastern Oklahoma that seeks to raise awareness about the effects of contamination on human health and the environment. Through public education, outreach, action, involvement with appropriate government agencies, and litigation, LEAD works to organize a citizen response toward cleanup and restoration of environmental harms, while striving for pollution prevention and environmental sustainability. To learn more, please visit leadagency.org.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Jim
leadagency@att.net
(918) 520-6720
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“The town of Miami, Oklahoma will not exist if flooding increases — which it will,” said Rebecca Jim, Executive Director of LEAD Agency, which she founded with activist Earl Hatley in 1997 to educate and organize the community around environmental concerns. “This is a question of environmental justice.”
More than 120 years of active mining and unremediated contamination within the Tar Creek Superfund Site have led to a public health crisis among the area’s 31,200 residents, many of whom are low-income members of the region’s nine tribal nations. For decades, toxic mining waste has oozed heavy metals like lead, zinc, and cadmium into Tar Creek, which has made the list of the 10 most endangered rivers in the country for two years running. The contamination has led to confirmed cases of lead poisoning and other health issues among the local population. The former towns of Picher and Cardin took a federal buyout in 2010 and no longer exist; the towns that remain are in grave danger.
LEAD Agency’s new map shows that when Tar Creek floods, the county not only suffers the impact of toxic creekwater, but also direct contamination from towers of toxic waste known as “chat,” which loom up to 200 feet over the landscape. The region has experienced increased flooding in recent years and will likely see more due to climate change.
The map project began in 2020, when Jim, a member of the Cherokee Nation, partnered with Thriving Earth Exchange to create a tool that could visually showcase what happens when Tar Creek floods. Jim’s primary collaborator was Community Science Fellow Jessica Tran, who worked with environmental scientists and cartographers to develop the interactive map that includes the specific locations of chat, aquifers, and groundwater wells, as well as the locations of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assessed properties. Tran and Jim hope the map will spur the EPA to clean up Tar Creek, and alert local residents to imminent risks.
“Homes that have been remediated may very well be re-contaminated, and climate change will continue to make things worse,” said Tran. “With more frequent and unpredictable flooding, we need to clean up Tar Creek, so it is safe for residents of Ottawa County.”
The link to the map will be released October 12. To make the information accessible to local residents who may not have internet access, LEAD Agency also plans to distribute a PDF version on flash drives at their annual Tar Creek Conference on October 12-13, at NEO College in Miami, Oklahoma. Held every year since 1998, the Tar Creek Conference brings together scientists, tribal leaders, government agencies, and local residents to discuss current environmental issues. Attendees this year will include federal and state environmental agencies, tribal officials, researchers, and community members.
For more information about the Tar Creek Conference, please visit leadagency.org.
About LEAD Agency
LEAD Agency is an environmental justice organization in northeastern Oklahoma that seeks to raise awareness about the effects of contamination on human health and the environment. Through public education, outreach, action, involvement with appropriate government agencies, and litigation, LEAD works to organize a citizen response toward cleanup and restoration of environmental harms, while striving for pollution prevention and environmental sustainability. To learn more, please visit leadagency.org.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Jim
leadagency@att.net
(918) 520-6720
###
Tar Creek Listed for Second Consecutive Year
Among America’s Most Endangered Rivers
For the second consecutive year, American Rivers included Tar Creek among America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2022, citing the serious threat that toxic pollution from one of the country’s biggest Superfund sites poses to public health.
Toxic mining wastewater has been flowing into Tar Creek for decades, killing most aquatic life and contaminating Grand Lake downstream. State and federal agencies must come up with a comprehensive solution to address pollution throughout the watershed NOW.
LEAD Agency, American Rivers, and our partners call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Grand River Dam Authority to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to address Tar Creek metals contamination in the relicensing of the Pensacola Dam, which is currently underway. These metals endanger the health of local Indigenous communities and other residents. Agencies must address this public and environmental health emergency in the record of the dam relicensing.
Toxic mining wastewater has been flowing into Tar Creek for decades, killing most aquatic life and contaminating Grand Lake downstream. State and federal agencies must come up with a comprehensive solution to address pollution throughout the watershed NOW.
LEAD Agency, American Rivers, and our partners call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Grand River Dam Authority to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to address Tar Creek metals contamination in the relicensing of the Pensacola Dam, which is currently underway. These metals endanger the health of local Indigenous communities and other residents. Agencies must address this public and environmental health emergency in the record of the dam relicensing.
LEAD Agency's
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Residents Call on City of Miami
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On June 9, 2021, Miami residents John Holt, Jacklyn Robinson, and James Couch became proponents of Miami, Oklahoma's first municipal initiative petition.
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Residents Standing Up and Speaking Out
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When you shop on Amazon, please consider supporting LEAD Agency at no extra cost to you! Click on the link below to shop at Amazon Smile, and Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase to LEAD Agency. Thank you for your support!
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Virtual Public Meeting Recording Now Available
EPA has prepared Preliminary Remediation Goals (cleanup standards) for human health with regard to OU5, which includes the sediments and surface water in continuously flowing creeks, streams and rivers that may be impacted by historical mining activities within Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. LEAD has asked technical advisors from EPA to explain to the public what EPA is proposing for its remediation goals, as well as the methods they used to arrive at their proposals. This meeting will help the public write effective comments to EPA about their proposals so that the cleanup is as protective as possible of human health. Public comments will be due April 16. Click on the image above to review the technical team's written summary of EPA's proposed remediation goals. Be sure to join us March 23 to learn more and get your questions answered. 2020 Virtual Conference Completed
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We were thrilled to partner with the Western Mining Action Network for a dynamic and enlightening virtual conference. Click on this link to watch archived recordings of all the sessions,
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Tar Creek Superfund Site OU5 Human Health
Risk Assessment Comments Now Closed
Thank you all for submitting comments. You DO make a difference! We will let you know when EPA responds.
VIDEO AND DOWNLOADS AVAILABLE:
EPA recently released its draft Human Health Risk Assessment for Operable Unit 5 of the Tar Creek Superfund site. EPA is requesting comments on the risk assessment. The comment deadline is August 17, 2020.
To learn more about the risk assessment, EPA's Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program hosted a live webinar that you can watch at this link. During the webinar, the TASC team explained the purpose and contents of the Human Health Risk Assessment. They also answered questions from members of the public. Please take the time to watch this presentation.
After watching the video, consider whether YOU think the EPA has adequately described and explained the human health risks posed by OU5. Then write a comment to EPA with your opinions and, just as importantly, your questions. EPA must hear from residents in order to improve the Risk Assessment. If the Risk Assessment doesn't reflect the extent of the human health risks that exist, then their plan to clean up OU5 will not address all the risks.
Comments are due August 17 and should be emailed to coats.janetta@epa.gov.
To learn more about the risk assessment, EPA's Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program hosted a live webinar that you can watch at this link. During the webinar, the TASC team explained the purpose and contents of the Human Health Risk Assessment. They also answered questions from members of the public. Please take the time to watch this presentation.
After watching the video, consider whether YOU think the EPA has adequately described and explained the human health risks posed by OU5. Then write a comment to EPA with your opinions and, just as importantly, your questions. EPA must hear from residents in order to improve the Risk Assessment. If the Risk Assessment doesn't reflect the extent of the human health risks that exist, then their plan to clean up OU5 will not address all the risks.
Comments are due August 17 and should be emailed to coats.janetta@epa.gov.