When mines are abandoned, it can lead to serious environmental and human health issues. The town of Belt has worked with the state for decades to tackle issues left by the Anaconda Coal Mine.
"Belt is a special project because we have acid mine drainage draining into Belt Creek," says Montana Department of Environmental Quality scientist Jorri Dyer
Dyer heads the state’s Abandoned Mine Land Program, which mitigates impacts from legacy mining.
Acid mine drainage happens when precipitation reaching abandoned mines creates highly acidic water full of heavy metals and toxins. That can poison streams and groundwater, and harm the life that depends on them.
One 2018 DEQ report said on an average day, Belt’s acid mine drainages discharged 200,000 gallons of water which contains over 800 pounds of iron, aluminum and other dissolved metals. Sampling by state scientists found levels of iron seven times higher than state standards for impaired waterways.
"The mine closed in 1924. So there's been acid mine drainage going into this creek for over a hundred years," Dyer says.
A new multimillion-dollar water treatment facility will finally fix that. The plant will clean the acid drainage before discharging it back into the creek.
Belt’s Mayor Jim Olson says the project was a long time coming.
"The whole town's excited. I mean, you know, this really was the good news story in our community."
Olson says he’s excited to see life return to a creek that was once known for its fishing and recreation.
The price tag for the facility was funded through state natural resources grants and federal grants derived from fees on coal. DEQ says there’s a $30 million pot of funds stemming from the federal Office of Surface Mining designated to maintain the facility for the next 100 years.
