Robert W. Nairn with the University of Oklahoma Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds provided a walking tour Wednesday of the $1.2 million passive treatment system that is treating contaminated mine drainage.

“One-fifth of containment is pretty significant,” said Nairn. “I believe it is a successful project but we will know more when we come back in five years.”

Nairn said the nine acres was not mined but did contain three bore holes which allowed for the flow of surface mine water.

The 10 cells, or ponds, have been operational since November 2008. The system is designed to remove 200 pounds of aluminum, 40 pounds of arsenic, eight pounds of cadmium, 105,000 pounds of iron, 500 pounds of nickel, 33 pounds of lead and 6,000 pounds of zinc every year, he said.

The 43-square-mile area of Picher, Commerce, Cardin, Quapaw and North Miami make up the zinc and lead contaminated area known as Tar Creek. The former mining area was fertile ground for lead and zinc mining but now is considered an environmental disaster after mining companies abandoned the area.

“The design life is 30 years,” Nairn said referring to the water treatment system.

The passive use of a solar panel and a windmill requires minimal maintenance and uses a natural process — not fossil fuels, he said. The area is filled with wildlife, including golden winged butterflies, muskrats and red-wing blackbirds.

The mine water starts out in a U-shaped pond filled with bright orange water where a muskrat family has made a nest and is surrounded by cattails. The pond has three sites producing a combined 160 gallons of contaminated mine water per minute, Nairn said.

After the iron is removed, the water flows to series of four ponds which are filled with 18-inches of limestone followed by 18-inches of organic material.

The water then flows to two aeration ponds, fueled by a 20-foot windmill and a solar panel that adds oxygen back into the water. The water flows into two gravel beds where the zinc is destroyed and finally into a tributary.

It takes about three weeks for the mine water to enter into the first pool and exit a large white pipe into a tributary, Nairn said.

Miami Mayor Brent Brassfield declared the project “impressive.” He said the process should be used on the entire Tar Creek area.

“It appears to be a success when you see how clear the water was (at the end),” Brassfield said.