Photo By Brannen Parrish | Paige Ford, left, environmental scientist, Quapaw Nation; Christopher Hussin, center,...... read more read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District and the Quapaw Nation cohosted a multi-faceted, multi-government, and multiagency planning and visioning meeting to address restoration goals for Quapaw Nation lands restoration, at the Quapaw Nation, June 23-24.
The charette brought elders, scientists and leaders from Quapaw Nation together with scientists, engineers, and representatives from USACE, Tribal, federal, state, university, and nonprofit organizations to develop an ecological conceptual model for a comprehensive assessment under the USACE Planning Assistance to States program.
“The goal is to bring everyone together to determine what the Quapaw Nation’s vision for restoration is and identify what processes and programs we can use to assist them with restoring the land,” said Chad King, project manager, Tulsa District, USACE.
Quapaw Nation lands comprise about 70 percent of the Tar Creek Superfund Site. The Environmental Protection Agency added the site to its priority list in 1983.
From the 1890s until the cessation of mining operations in the 1970s, lead and zinc mining was a major industry in the region. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society’s, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the Tri-State Mining District, which encompassed parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, produced about 50 percent of the zinc and 45 percent of the lead needed for World War I.
Ore processing left behind gravel-like waste material called chat that is contaminated with heavy metals like lead, zinc and cadmium. Processors created large chat piles, some exceeding 200 feet, throughout the area and in some cases in or near waterways.
For decades drivers on US Route 69 could see the piles.
“I’d always hear stories of people talking about not knowing there was a mountain range in this area,” said Trenton Stand, executive director of resource management for Quapaw Nation. “They don’t really have great depth perception as to how far away that is but it’s just a quarter mile to a half mile up the road.”
The Quapaw Nation has been working with the Environmental Protection Agency and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to remediate contamination left behind from nearly 100 years of mining operations.
Stand, who oversees the effort to remove chat piles and surface level contamination for Quapaw Nation said the Tribe removes about 100,000 to 200,000 tons of material each month and have made significant progress.
“The chat piles don’t look anything like they did 14 years ago,” Stand said.
While chat piles are a surface-level reminder of contamination, below the surface abandoned mine shafts filled with water.
During rainy seasons the water table rises forcing water to the surface, contaminating creeks and streams. Surface level discharges from the Beaver Creek Mine within the Tar Creek Superfund Site runoff into nearby Beaver Creek. Heavy metals in the water oxidize turning the creek orange and threaten ecosystems within and downstream of Quapaw Nation. Locally the discoloration has been referred to as the “Beaver Creek Color.”
According to King, who is overseeing the comprehensive assessment for USACE, the study will attempt to provide holistic solutions to address restoration of lands.
During visioning sessions, experts from the USACE Engineering Research and Development Center, the USACE Tribal Technical Center of Excellence, other Tribal Nations, and agencies provided learned about the issues facing the community and provided their feedback to that will assist in developing the study.
“Remediation has occurred and is ongoing, and we take a holistic approach to provide solutions, determine what processes we can use to assist Quapaw Nation so they can go from remediation to restoration,” said King.
The USACE Planning Assistance to States program was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 1974 as amended and allows the Corps of Engineers to provide technical and planning assistance to states, tribes, and other non-federal entities for water resources and land resources development.
Assistance under PAS covers all USACE mission areas to include flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and navigation, as well as water supply and water resilience.
Restoration is a long-term process but the charette provided a starting point and the foundation for the assessment.
“I hope we have been able to identify restoration projects or types of projects that we can apply within the reservation, be able to understand what this is and where we can go to try to get funding to help heal this problem and address these concerns,” said Stand.
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2025 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 542444 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Healing the land: USACE, Quapaw Nation take first steps toward comprehensive assessment for land restoration, by Brannen Parrish, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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