Tar Creek Superfund site
| Tar Creek | |
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| Superfund site | |
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| Geography | |
| City | Picher |
| County | Ottawa County |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | 36°58′32″N 94°50′17″W / 36.97556°N 94.83806°WCoordinates: 36°58′32″N 94°50′17″W / 36.97556°N 94.83806°W |
 Tar Creek
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| List of Superfund sites | |
Tar Creek Superfund site is a United States Superfund site located in the cities of Picher and Cardin, Oklahoma. Chat piles left behind by the mining companies contain lead dust that has blown around the city. Elevated lead levels in Picher children have led to learning disabilities and other problems. The lead and zinc have also seeped into groundwater, ponds, and lakes, many of which still are used by children for swimming. Since the children of Picher have been found to have elevated levels of lead in their bodies, the EPA has since declared Picher to be one of the most toxic areas in the United States.
This area was originally owned by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma, who leased property to mining companies. Government rules restricted many Quapaw landowners from realizing money from royalties that companies paid on these leases. The people have suffered adverse health effects, including high rates of miscarriage and neurological damage to children, as a result of the unregulated mining activities. The Tar Creek Superfund site is the Oklahoma section of three sites that together encompass the Tri-State district. This is an old lead and zinc mining district that included parts of southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma.
The area now known as Tar Creek is part of the Tri-State mining district, an area of 1,188 square miles located in Ottawa County, Oklahoma; Southwestern Missouri, and Southeastern Kansas. The first mining activities took place in Missouri around 1850. By 1908, sites had been started in Miami, Picher, and Commerce. The construction of railroads in the area stimulated production, increasing access to markets. Mining quickly had a high economic impact, and by 1924 most of the young, American-born whites in the district were employed by the mining industry. The Quapaw tended to be excluded by discrimination in the industry.
When mining began in the area, most of the land was owned by the federally recognized Quapaw tribe. An 1897 court ruling and subsequent lawsuits determined mining companies could exploit resources on leased Quapaw lands, but only about one sixth of Quapaw landowners were allowed to collect royalties. Between 1915 and 1930, decreasing demand and production caused companies to buy the land rather than lease it, which encouraged high consolidation of mining companies.
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