EPA proposes filling old pit in southwest Mo. mine cleanup

WEBB CITY, Mo. -- City officials will consider a proposal to dump 1 million cubic yards of rock into an old swimming hole as part of a plan by the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up abandoned mining land near this southwest Missouri town.

The EPA will seek about $9 million from Congress this year to clean up 300 acres of former lead and zinc open-pit mines around Webb City, just north of Joplin.

The project would be the start of a 10- to 15-year effort that could involve more than $60 million in federal cleanup money. The EPA estimates that 7,000 acres in Jasper County are covered by 10 million tons of waste rock.

The cleanup, which could start this fall if Congress appropriates the money, would place waste rock back into the ground, remove contaminated sediment from streams, plug mine shafts and contour the land with new vegetation.

The problem for the EPA is that there is too much waste rock to put back into the ground. The agency approached Webb City's park board about two months ago with the idea of filling in Sucker Flat, a water-filled pit in King Jack Park.

The steep-walled pit, itself a relic of mining in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is used as a summer swimming hole despite a city edict that prohibits swimming in it.

The park board approved the proposal and has forwarded its recommendation to the City Council.

Mayor John Biggs said most people he's talked to favor the proposal and the city council will probably approve it.

Biggs said some people may be opposed to change but the city should fill in the pit because it is a constant problem to keep people from swimming there.

---

Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com