The Taming of the Berkeley Pit by Dick Maney documents the construction of the Polishing Plant that was designed to filter mine water to a point that it could be safely discharged into Silver Bow Creek. The process, the construction, and the reasons for the Polishing...
ABC FOX Montana – Berkeley Pit Waterfowl Protection Program
Every year thousands of birds fly over Butte on their migrations. Engineers work diligently as part of the Berkeley Pit Waterfowl Protection Program to ensure these birds don't come to rest on the Pit. ABC FOX Montana reported on how the program achieves a success...
Superfund during the COVID-19 pandemic
By Matt Vincent Right now, everything is seemingly within the iron grip of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Our daily lives have been redefined by the government’s response. As of Tuesday, April 15, Montana has 404 confirmed cases, 50 cumulative...
Water discharged from Butte Mine Flooding site, Including the Berkeley Pit, for the First Time
By Tim Hilmo, Project Manager, Atlantic Richfield Company With minimal headlines, treated water was discharged from the Butte Mine Flooding site to Silver Bow Creek for the first time starting on September 30, 2019. Water from the Berkeley Pit is being treated at the...
Restoring Butte: Environmental Education at the Berkeley Pit
By: Matt Vincent The Berkeley Pit viewing stand ordinarily sees as many as 300 visitors each day when it’s open, making up for around 35,000 visits a year. A couple of weeks ago, there was one “out of the ordinary” new development at the viewing stand. Members from...
Pitwatch.org Reimagined
I remember opening my first edition of PitWatch at my grandpa and grandma Lester’s dining room table as an 11-year old in 2002. The publication in those days was as fresh as it could be; it contained the latest water levels and flow updates, even breaking news about...
Pitwatch.org Reimagined
Berkeley Pit August 2018. Photo by Kayla Lappin, Clark Fork Watershed Education Program. Pitwatch.org Reimagined I remember opening my first edition of PitWatch at my grandpa and grandma Lester’s dining room table as an 11-year old in 2002. The publication in those...
Snow Geese Update
• It is estimated that many thousands of migrating snow geese stopped in the Berkeley Pit the week of November 28, 2016. The number of migrating geese that passed through this area and landed in the Berkeley Pit is unprecedented. Most geese left the pit on Tuesday...
Study details slope stability
The rate of rise of water levels in the Berkeley Pit and connected monitoring points is affected by many factors, including rain and snowfall and occasional ‘sloughs’ or ‘slumps’ of material from the Pit’s sidewall slopes. The most recent slough occurred on February...