Anaconda

Arial view of the Anaconda Smelter Site

NRDP

Smelter Hill Uplands Claim and Restoration Plan

From the 1880s to 1980, large volumes of hazardous substances were released into the air by the Anaconda Smelter. These emissions were deposited onto the land, resulting in severe loss of vegetation and injuring nearly 17.8 square miles of land in the mountains surrounding the city of Anaconda. The loss of vegetation resulted in widespread erosion, topsoil loss, degraded wildlife habitat and significantly reduced wildlife in the area. This claim area includes portions of:
  • Smelter Hill (4,653 acres)
  • Stucky Ridge (2,409 acres)
  • Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area (WMA) (4,304 acres)

The $13.2 million designated for this site under the 2008 settlement addresses the most severely injured portions of these areas, including areas subject to the Anaconda Record of Decision. Pursuant to the 2008 Consent Decree, NRDP performed both remedial (cleanup) and restoration actions on injured areas on Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) lands on Stucky Ridge and Smelter Hill and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) lands on the Mount Haggin WMA. On April 4, 2023, the EPA and NRDP, with DEQ’s concurrence, certified that the State’s required remedy was complete (EPA and DEQ, 2023).

Anaconda Groundwater Plan

$10.2 million from the 1999 Upper Clark Fork River Basin settlement was allocated to fund water system improvement projects in Anaconda Deer Lodge County. In 2019, Anaconda Deer Lodge County completed a 7-year, $10.2 million restoration project for replacement of century-old, corroded water mains along with voluntary water metering in the Anaconda municipal water service area. These Groundwater Restoration Plan (GWRP) projects comprised 54,000 linear feet of pipe replacements, and in concert with 69,000 linear feet installed prior to 2012, reduced system leakage from 2.2 million gallons per day to less than 400,000 gallons per day. Metering of 493 additional customers, plus 77 household pressure-reducing valves installed, augmented the critical water conservation mandate of this project.

Documents, Links and Reports

May 24.2023 Anaconda Uplands Plan Amendment Public Meeting:
2023 Anaconda Uplands Plan Amendment Public Meeting Presentation