The Cherokee County site is a part of a larger area known as the Tri-State Mining District which is located in southeastern Kansas, southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma. The Cherokee County site, also know as the Tar Creek Area Site, covers only 115 or the 2,500 square miles of the Tri-State Mining District. This is an area of zinc and lead mining, occurring for over one hundred years, that has resulted in piles of mine tailings which cover about 4,000 acres in the southeastern section of Cherokee County. Found not only within these tailings, but also leached into shallow groundwater are lead, zinc and cadmium. This shallow water was a primary water source for residents of Galena and the surrounding area. Other types of contamination include wind deposited smelter wastes impacting residential areas and acid mine drainage with dissolved heavy metals which has contaminated four waterways. (6, 7, 8, 9)

While an element that is essential to our diets, in high doses zinc can all have harmful effects on one’s health. Large amounts of zinc, if ingested over a short period of time, can cause stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Over an extended period of time, high levels of zinc can cause anemia, pancreatic damage and lowered levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Zinc is naturally occurring in air, soil and water. (18, 19)

Cadmium is a naturally occurring element that will bind strongly to soil particles. It has a low water solubility and a residence time in the body. Exposure to high levels of cadmium through food or water will cause severe stomach irritation, which can lead to vomiting and diarrhea. Prolonged exposure to lower cadmium levels can lead to bioaccumulation, especially in the kidneys, as well as possible kidney disease.(18, 19)

Found in every part of our environment, lead is a naturally occurring element. While lead is not susceptible to degradation by UV light itself, sunlight, air and water can transform lead compounds. This contaminant can travel long distances in the air before falling to the ground. Once in contact with the soil it will bind strongly to soil particles. Movement of lead in the soil is dependent on the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil as well as the salt that lead is found in. Groundwater contamination is dependent on the both the characteristics of the soil contaminated and the lead compound. It can affect almost every organ in the human body and is especially dangerous for children, whether it is inhaled or ingested. Some lead compounds have been anticipated to be carcinogens in animals.(18, 19)

In 1987 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began supplying an alternate water source to the residents of the area by distributing clean water to homes, businesses and farms within the contaminated area but not on the municipal water system. Other remedies to the various contaminated areas include moving mine wastes to areas away from bodies of water, capping and revegetating wastes, the diversion of surficial streams away from contaminated areas, controlling runoff and erosion through the recontouring of the land surface and excavation and disposal of contaminated soils from residential yards. (6, 7, 8, 9)