w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
33
From the way they called to
me, I could tell they were
worried about my safety.
But they didn't understand:
I was tough and didn't need
their help, I was there to
look out for
them.
Workers should know that auditors don't
want comfort, so I ran away to continue
my patrol and observations of the pit.
Dug out of bedrock, water filled the pit like a gigantic
bowl. Chemicals and residue from the mining operation
seeped into the reservoir, creating a toxic lake that got
deeper and deeper, causing concern that it might rise
high enough to spill into the groundwater of Butte,
contaminating the whole city.
Heroic reclamation and environmental safety efforts have
kept that disaster from happening, but the danger still exists.
4,263 feet deep
5,600 feet wide
