EPA Superfund site
BARKER HUGHESVILLE MINING DISTRICT
Human exposure is NOT currently under control
Data limitations: Proximity to a Superfund site boundary does not mean your property is contaminated. EPA site boundaries show the area designated for cleanup, not the full extent of contamination. Groundwater plumes can extend beyond site boundaries. This tool shows publicly available EPA federal data. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by EPA, and is not a substitute for a professional environmental assessment.
About this site's exposure pathways
As of August 2026, the Barker Hughesville Mining District Superfund site is considered Current Human Exposure Not Under Control (HENC). EPA has completed the remedial investigations and is working on the Operating Unit 1 (OU1) feasibility study that addresses solid source mine waste in the upper and middle Galena Creek watershed while Mt Emmons Mining Company is conducting field investigations in support of an engineering evaluation/cost analysis at OU3 Liberty Mine Area. EPA plans to issue an OU1 Record of Decision and complete an OU3 Action Memo and an administrative settlement agreement and order on consent (ASAOC) in 2027.
EPA has already overseen two Potentially Responsible Party-led removal actions for waste rock and tailings at the Block P Mining complex, which placed more than 500,000 cubic yards of waste in an onsite repository. EPA is also working with another PRP to pilot test source control measures for mine-influenced water from an accessible discharging mine adit in the district. The ASAOC is anticipated to be signed in early 2027 with field activities anticipated by early summer. EPA expects final remedial action for the water source remedy to be completed in 2042. This exposure pathway is considered unacceptable based on EPA risk-based criteria because on-site workers, seasonal residents, and recreational users can be exposed through direct contact with mine waste, sediments, contaminated soils, and mine-influenced water containing lead, arsenic, thallium, manganese, zinc, cadmium, copper, and iron at levels above federal standards.
EPA continues to provide residents and recreational users with information to reduce exposure to potentially contaminated soils, sediments, surface water, and groundwater. EPA expects to mail a fact sheet in 2027.