Great Lakes ice cover is at historic lows heading into peak ice season

Great Lakes ice cover is at historic lows heading into peak ice season
Great Lakes ice cover is at historic lows heading into peak ice season
ABC News

(DETROIT) — The Great Lakes is seeing record-low levels of ice during a time of year when ice cover is typically closing in on peak levels, according to the latest measurements.

It continues to be the winter that wasn’t in the upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions, where average ice cover has continued to melt away since last week’s Great Lakes ice analysis showed just 5.9% of ice cover.

As of Sunday, just 2.7% of the Great Lakes was covered in ice, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory announced on Tuesday.

This is the second year in a row where Great Lakes ice cover was well below average for this time of year, which typically sees the peak of ice cover at around 40%, records show. It is also remarkably lower than the previous record low set in mid-February 2023, at 5.77%.

On Sunday, Lake Superior was at 1.7% ice cover; Lake Michigan at 2.6%; Lake Huron at 5.9%; Lake Erie at .05%; and Lake Ontario at 1.7%, according to NOAA. On Monday, the Great Lakes combined average ice cover saw a slight uptick to 2.94% and was at 2.92% as of Tuesday, according to NOAA.

Lakes Erie and Ontario are essentially ice-free, tying their historic-low ice cover records for the day, records show.

Although there are chunks of ice visible from the sandy beaches just north of Muskegon, Michigan, there is “little-to-no” ice cover on Lake Michigan, the NOAA researchers said.

“We have never seen ice levels this low in Mid-February on the lakes since our records began in 1973,” Bryan Mrockza, a physical scientist, for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, said in a statement.

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater ecosystem on Earth, and according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, they are among the fastest-warming lakes in the world.

This season has been one of the warmest winters on record for the Great Lakes. The current winter season began with very warm air temperatures, resulting in slow ice formation, according to NOAA.

While January saw some periods of intense cold, they were not sustained enough to allow ice coverage to significantly increase.

Maximum ice cover typically peaks in late February and early March, according to NOAA. On average, the Great Lakes experience a basin-wide maximum in annual ice coverage of about 53%.

But ice cover is unlikely to make a significant recovery this season. In the coming last weeks of winter, the overall temperature trend continues to point to above average temperatures and unseasonably mild conditions in the region.

Warmer winters and the associated impacts on ice coverage have links to human-induced climate change when looking at long-term trends. However, for this year specifically, a strong El Niño event is the primary driver with climate change potentially helping amplify the extreme. A typical El Niño winter favors above average temperatures in the region.

Low ice coverage impacts a variety of tourism and recreation industries, such as ice fishing and outdoor sports, that depend on the ice, according to NOAA.

Last month, the John Beargrease Sled Dog marathon, one of the most beloved dog sled competitions in the Midwest, was canceled due to lack of snow.

“Many local businesses in the area rely on ice fishing and outdoor sports which can only happen if the ice is thick and solid,” according to NOAA. “Some fish species also use the ice for protection from predators during spawning season, and there’s increasing evidence that the ice plays a role in regulating many biological processes in the water. Shipping schedules are heavily impacted by the formation of ice, as well.”

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Max Golembo contributed to this report.

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1 dead, 5 injured after vehicle crashes into ER at Austin hospital: Officials

1 dead, 5 injured after vehicle crashes into ER at Austin hospital: Officials
1 dead, 5 injured after vehicle crashes into ER at Austin hospital: Officials
PBNJ Productions/Getty Images

(AUSTIN, Texas) — One person is dead and five people were injured after a vehicle crashed into a hospital in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, authorities said.

A vehicle crashed into the emergency room at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time, Capt. Christa Stedman, a spokesperson for the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, said at a news conference Tuesday evening.

The driver of the vehicle was extricated from the car and received CPR, but was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Austin Fire Department Chief Thayer Smith.

Police identified the driver on Wednesday as 57-year-old Michell Holloway.

This is no indication at this time that this was an “intentional act” or that Holloway suffered a medical episode while driving, officer Ariel Crumes, a spokesperson for the Austin Police Department, said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

It is unclear what the speed of the vehicle was at the time of impact, Crumes said.

Two children and one adult were transported to Dell Children’s Medical Center, according to Chief of Austin-Travis County EMS Robert Luckritz. One child was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, while the adult and second child had injuries that were non-life-threatening, Luckritz said.

A second adult with potentially life-threatening injuries was transported to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, according to Luckritz.

Eight other people who were in the ER but not injured in the crash were transported to different area hospitals so the emergency room could “regroup,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Peter DeYoung said during Tuesday’s presser.

According to DeYoung, the building appears to be in good condition and none of the hospital’s operations were interrupted.

The vehicle crashed into a large aquarium in the hospital, which likely saved lives by absorbing the impact of the crash, DeYoung said Wednesday.

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Florida deputy fires weapon after mistaking sound of acorn hitting patrol car for gunshot

Florida deputy fires weapon after mistaking sound of acorn hitting patrol car for gunshot
Florida deputy fires weapon after mistaking sound of acorn hitting patrol car for gunshot
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office

(CRESTVIEW, Fla.) — A Florida deputy is seen firing his weapon repeatedly at his patrol vehicle after mistaking the sound of an acorn hitting the roof of the car for a muffled gunshot, according to video released alongside a sheriff’s office investigation.

Newly released body camera footage of the November 2023 incident shows the dramatic moments the Okaloosa County deputy shot at his patrol vehicle while a handcuffed suspect was inside.

“I’m hit! I’m hit!” the deputy, Jesse Hernandez, can be heard yelling, though no one was shooting at him.

As he stumbled to the ground, Hernandez yelled “Shots fired!” four times, according to the video and an internal investigation conducted by by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office of Professional Standards. He then opens fire on his vehicle.

A sergeant with the sheriff’s office also fired her weapon multiple times at the patrol vehicle, believing Hernandez was in danger, according to the report.

After the sergeant asked if he was OK, Hernandez responded, “I’m good, I feel weird but I’m good,” the footage shows.

The two had responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at a residence near Fort Walton Beach on Nov. 12, 2023, according to the report. A woman reported that her boyfriend was refusing to return her vehicle and had been calling and texting her threats, including “what appeared to be a firearm suppressor pointing at the dash of the victim’s vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The boyfriend was detained, searched, handcuffed and placed in the rear of Hernandez’s patrol vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

While approaching the vehicle to conduct another search, Hernandez told investigators that he heard what he believed to be a “suppressed weapon off to the side,” according to the report.

“At the same time, I felt an impact on my right side, like upper torso area,” he said in an interview on Nov. 15, 2023, according to the report.

Hernandez and the sergeant both fired their weapons at the patrol car until their firearms were emptied, according to the report.

The boyfriend was uninjured and no weapon was located, the sheriff’s office said.

“The audible sound Deputy Hernandez reported can be heard on body cam video and witnesses also attested they heard the sound they thought could have been a muffled gunshot,” the sheriff’s office said.

During the interview, investigators informed Hernandez that what he heard was an acorn, according to the report. Asked if what he thought he heard was actually the noise of the acorn striking the roof of his patrol vehicle, Hernandez responded, “I’m not gonna say no,” according to the report.

“What I heard sounded what I think would be louder than an acorn hitting the roof of the car, but there’s obviously an acorn hitting the roof of the car,” he said, according to the report.

The investigation determined that Hernandez’s use of force was “not objectively reasonable,” the sheriff’s office said. He resigned during the course of the investigation on Dec. 4, 2023, nearly a year after joining the force, according to the sheriff’s office.

ABC News has reached out to Hernandez for comment.

The sergeant’s use of force was found to be “objectively reasonable” and she was exonerated, the sheriff’s office said.

Both were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, according to Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden.

Aden said they “understand this situation was traumatic” for the man detained in the patrol vehicle and are “thankful” he wasn’t injured. The office has incorporated this incident into their training “to try to ensure nothing similar happens again,” the sheriff said.

“Though [Hernandez’s] actions were ultimately not warranted, we do believe he felt his life was in immediate peril and his response was based off the totality of circumstances surrounding this fear,” Aden said in a statement. “Just as we have an obligation to protect our officers so they can go home safely to their families, law enforcement has the same obligation to any citizen being investigated for a crime.”

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Jury deliberates in murder trial of former Ohio deputy accused of fatally shooting Casey Goodson Jr.

Jury deliberates in murder trial of former Ohio deputy accused of fatally shooting Casey Goodson Jr.
Jury deliberates in murder trial of former Ohio deputy accused of fatally shooting Casey Goodson Jr.
Family of Casey Goodson

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The jury in the murder trial of a former Ohio deputy charged in the shooting death of Casey Goodson Jr. began deliberating Wednesday, following more than two weeks of witness testimony, including from a last minute witness who said he came forward after watching news of the trial.

“Six shots in the back,” special prosecutor Tim Merkle told the jury as he began delivering his closing arguments, echoing special prosecutor Gary Shroyer’s words during opening statement. “No matter how [defense attorneys] twist and turn, it is still six shots in the back.”

Jason Meade, a former deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), is charged with two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide in the 23-year-old Black man’s shooting death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

“We’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jason Meade acted reasonably,” attorney Mark Collins said during the defense’s closing arguments.

The incident occurred in Columbus on Dec. 4, 2020, when Meade was working with the U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST) to search for a wanted fugitive. Meade, who is white, alleged that Goodson pointed a gun at him as the two drove past each other. The then-deputy said he decided to follow Goodson home. Goodson legally owned a gun and had a concealed carry permit, according to police.

Meade testified that once outside Goodson’s residence, he saw Goodson holding a gun and gave him verbal commands to drop his weapon but Goodson did not comply. As Goodson approached the back door to his grandmother’s home, where he lived, Meade claimed Goodson made a turning motion and pointed his gun towards the deputy. Meade, who was in possession of a rifle, then opened fire.

An autopsy conducted by the Franklin County Coroner’s Office found that Goodson had been shot six times from behind, including five times in his back.

The prosecution argued that Goodson did not hear Meade because he was wearing headphones and listening to music and that Goodson was carrying a bag with sandwiches — and not a gun — in one hand as he used his other hand to open the door to the house. Goodson’s gun, which his family said he carried with him, was found in his possession with the safety on, according to police.

At the time of the shooting, FCSO deputies were not issued body cameras so no known video of the incident exists.

Meade’s defense team argued that the former deputy’s actions were in line with his training and a response to Goodson’s behavior. Last Tuesday, the former deputy took the stand to give the jury his account of the events that led to the shooting.

“Everything that I did was dictated by his actions,” Meade told the jury about why he shot Goodson. “He pointed his gun at me. I thought I was gonna die.”

Mark Collins, one of the lawyers representing Meade, asked him during direct examination what he had thought about after shooting Goodson. “I remember thinking it was my boy’s birthday. I just ruined his birthday,” Meade said.

Meade’s legal team declined ABC News’ request for comment.

During cross examination, special prosecutor Gary Shroyer asked Meade if he remembered which hand Goodson had used to open the storm door into his house. “I didn’t see his hands,” Meade said.

“I might have taken my eyes off of him for a moment but I didn’t see which hand he opened the door with,” Meade said.

The prosecution began presenting their case to the jury by calling members of Goodson’s family who had been in the home when the shooting happened to the stand, playing a recording of the 911 call Sharon Payne, Goodson’s grandmother, made following the shooting. The call was played again during Wednesday’s closing arguments.

“He went to the dentist and somewhere and came home and all of a sudden I heard a bunch of gunfire,” Payne told the 911 operator. “He’s not a bad kid. He don’t have a police record. He works. I don’t know what happened.”

The prosecution called 16 witnesses to the stand, including police officers and first responders who were called to the scene after the shooting, the medical examiner who performed Goodson’s autopsy, Columbus PD Crime Scene Search Unit officers, FBI and Columbus PD firearms experts and digital forensics.

The defense called to the stand Sheila Staniford, Goodson’s neighbor, who claimed to have heard Meade yelling commands to Goodson to drop his gun at least two times before hearing gunshots.

As the defense was preparing to rest their case, the trial faced an unexpected two-day delay when a surprise witness came forward after following the trial online — Christopher Corne, a HVAC worker who said he’d seen Goodson at the same intersection where Meade alleges to have seen him pointing a gun.

Corne testified that he noticed Goodson because he was driving recklessly and that when they came past each other, the two made eye contact. Corne said he saw movements and that Goodson “had one hand up in the air like he was singing or something like that,” but said no gun was visible.

During cross examination, the defense questioned Corne’s motivations for coming forward as the trial is underway and what they believe to be some inconsistencies in what Corne told the FBI. For example, Corne told the FBI he had driven away from the scene by taking one street but video evidence showed it was a different street.

If convicted on the charges, Meade could face life in prison.

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California lawmakers try to address homelessness with new proposed encampment ban

California lawmakers try to address homelessness with new proposed encampment ban
California lawmakers try to address homelessness with new proposed encampment ban
Mario Tama/Getty Images

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A new bill in California aims to ban homeless encampments near “sensitive community areas” statewide.

The bipartisan Senate Bill 1011, introduced earlier this month, would ban people from “sitting, lying, sleeping or storing, using, maintaining or placing personal property upon a street or sidewalk” if a homeless shelter is available.

It also bans people from camping within 500 feet of a public or private school, open space or major transit stop. A violation could result in a misdemeanor or an infraction but, according to the bill’s sponsors, it would be up to local officials to determine how to enforce the misdemeanor violations.

State Sens. Brian Jones, a Republican, and Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat, say the bill is intended to address issues of homelessness in a state with the largest homeless population in the United States.

“What we are trying to do is compassionately clearing encampments near areas that are sensitive to the public and the public needs to have safe access to,” Jones said in an interview with ABC News.

“It is not compassionate for us to have people dying on the streets in front of us and in our public spaces while we walk by them,” Blakespear said in a separate interview with ABC News.

This bill, introduced on Feb. 5, would require law enforcement to give “verbal or written information regarding alternative locations to sleep, homeless and mental health services, or homeless shelters in the area.”

Under the proposed bill, each locality would be expected to have its own policies on what happens to someone’s property when they are moved out of a camping site and those sites are cleaned out, both lawmakers told ABC News.

Some of California’s homeless shelters have been under fire in recent years, mired by allegations from civil rights groups of poor conditions including rodent and bedbug infestations, filthy bathrooms and harassment.

The American Civil Liberties Union accused Orange County shelters in 2019 of “unsafe and unsanitary living conditions,” “discrimination and abuse,” and “deprivation of fundamental rights.”

The County of Orange issued a statement to news outlets, including the LAist, following the report, saying at the time that local officials are “committed to ensuring our emergency shelters are safe for all our clients. Each emergency shelter has its own provider and complaint process. We work to ensure valid complaints are addressed by our service providers in a timely fashion.”

When asked about how shelter conditions would impact the implementation of this program, Blakespear and Jones both pointed to tactics used in San Diego under its Unsafe Camping Ordinance, which the senators say their bill was inspired by. The city of San Diego opened safe camping sites so people could choose to continue to camp in managed, designated areas where they have access to bathrooms, food, water and social workers to help get people back on their feet.

Jones and Blakespear say they hope California cities embrace similar initiatives to support the bill’s goal. However, the creation of safe camping sites is not mentioned in the bill.

“There are lots of reasons people don’t want to be in congregate shelters — concerns about theft, lack of privacy,” Blakespear said. “I think having safe camping, along with safe parking and permanent supportive housing, and also additional emphasis on mental health and substance abuse issues and having more beds available for people there, those are all pieces of the puzzle.”

Jones said safe camping areas can provide better enforcement against harassment and violent interactions, which he said may also occur in unmanaged encampment sites. Both lawmakers said having a steady place for homeless residents to access social services is vital to achieving stability.

“If they’re in the safe camping areas when the social services people come, they know they’re going to be able to interact with that person on a regular and continuous basis,” Jones said.

Homelessness has continued to increase nationwide since 2016, according to federal data. A recent report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development found more than 650,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023, a 12% increase from 2022.

Roughly 28% of all people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. — 181,399 people — are in California, according to HUD. Roughly 68% of that homeless population is experiencing homelessness outdoors, data shows.

Jones and Blakespear’s proposed bill is not the only homelessness-focused initiative in the works in the state.

Proposition 1 — dubbed “Treatment Not Tents” — has been the subject of debate ahead of the state’s March vote.

The proposition intends to create supportive housing for people with severe mental illness to achieve stability, expand community-based mental health services, support the mental health workforce and prioritize treatment over incarceration, among other goals. However, the distribution of funding on a local level has prompted debate, with some critics arguing it could divert funds from other mental health programs, according to the Secretary of State Voter Guide.

In August 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom also announced that the state will convert several vacant office buildings in Sacramento into affordable housing to address high housing costs and homelessness in the state.

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California landslide appears to leave 3 multimillion-dollar homes teetering on edge of cliff

California landslide appears to leave 3 multimillion-dollar homes teetering on edge of cliff
California landslide appears to leave 3 multimillion-dollar homes teetering on edge of cliff
Officials are concerned about three homes on Scenic Drive in Dana Point, Calif., that are teetering on the edge of a cliff following multiple rounds of severe storms. CREDIT: KABC

(LOS ANGELES) — Officials in Southern California are concerned about three multimillion-dollar homes teetering on the edge of a cliff following multiple rounds of severe storms that triggered a large landslide.

Three homes on Scenic Drive in Dana Point, California, about 60 miles south of Los Angeles, are seemingly closer to the ridge of the steep cliff after a large chunk of dirt and rock sheared off amid the heavy rains, as shown by drone video taken in the region. The video also shows a pile of rock and dirt that cascaded down the cliffside piled on the beach below.

There is no immediate threat to the properties, officials told ABC Los Angeles station KABC following an inspection. One of the homeowners, who did not wish to be identified, told the station that his home is secure and has not been red-tagged by the city as too dangerous to occupy.

On Feb. 6, evacuations were ordered in Isla Vista in Santa Barbara County after a storm caused cliff erosion. The severe weather caused balconies to collapse on four oceanview apartments, the Santa Barbara Independent reported.

A forecast for even more rain could increase the level of concern for homes in Dana Point. Some coastal California areas could see up to 10 inches of rain in the next week, forecasts show.

Global warming can cause extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and severe, according to climate scientists. Combined with sea level rise, climate change is causing coastal erosion and transforming coastlines all over the world, researchers said.

“So it’s really important that we track these events and understand how our coast is changing over time,” Adam Young, researcher at the University of California, San Diego’s Coastal Processes Group, told ABC News.

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Norwegian Cruise Line passengers claim Antarctica voyage was rerouted mid-trip

Norwegian Cruise Line passengers claim Antarctica voyage was rerouted mid-trip
Norwegian Cruise Line passengers claim Antarctica voyage was rerouted mid-trip
David Sacks/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Antarctica-bound passengers aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship claim their course was rerouted mid-voyage to instead travel around South America, nearly 200 miles off course from the destination they say they booked.

The cruise ship was originally slated to travel around South America before heading on to Paradise Bay, Antarctica, but after passengers boarded, one traveler said she noticed the trip description had changed.

According to Helen Midler, the new description read “round-trip of South America” and the itinerary had been altered.

She posted videos about the changes to the TikTok account @ruinedvacation to express her disappointment, garnering millions of views.

“They are not going anywhere near mainland Antarctica, which is what we paid for,” she said in the video.

Other passengers have since taken to social media, sharing their disappointment and frustration in videos posted on TikTok.

“We feel we’re being cheated, being scammed,” one traveler said.

In a statement to ABC News, Norwegian Cruise Line said the ship did go to Antarctica, but instead of heading to Paradise Bay near the mainland, it instead went to Admiralty Bay, off an island more than 200 miles north of the original Antarctic destination.

“While we try to maintain original itineraries as much as possible, at times modifications are made to optimize the itinerary or to accommodate certain circumstances,” the statement from the cruise line said. “In addition, due to a recent regulatory requirement in the area, the ship is operating at a reduced speed, also impacting its original itinerary.”

“It’s been largely a disappointment, in terms of not knowing where we’re going,” passenger Eric Huang told ABC News this week. “I don’t feel like I experienced Antarctica on this cruise. I think I would have to come again to be able to do that.”

This is not the first time a ship has changed its intended course with passengers on board.

In December, passengers aboard the MSC Meraviglia said they thought they were headed to to Ocean Cay in the Bahamas, but 24 hours before departure, they said the destination was switched to Canada.

The cruise line at the time said the change had to happen because storms made it impossible to travel to the Bahamas.

Experts say this serves as a good reminder that no matter where you’re planning to travel on a cruise line, there is no 100% guarantee that’s where you’ll end up.

“We always recommend that passengers read their crews contract carefully,” Cruise Critic Editor-in-Chief Colleen McDaniel told ABC News. “Also, we recommend working with people like travel advisers who can serve as your advocate for you in case something goes wrong.”

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Three DC police officers shot while trying to serve arrest warrant; suspect barricaded, firing shots: Police

Three DC police officers shot while trying to serve arrest warrant; suspect barricaded, firing shots: Police
Three DC police officers shot while trying to serve arrest warrant; suspect barricaded, firing shots: Police
avid_creative/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Three police officers were shot in Washington, D.C., while trying to serve an arrest warrant at a home Wednesday morning, and the suspect is still barricaded and opening fire, according to D.C. police.

All three officers suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters. A fourth officer was also injured but was not shot, Smith said.

The incident unfolded around 7:30 a.m. when officers responded to a home to try to serve an arrest warrant for cruelty to animals, Smith said.

Officers tried to make contact with the individual inside the home, but the individual refused to go outside, the chief said. Officers then tried to go inside the home and the suspect then fired at them, Smith said.

The suspect remains barricaded and is continuing to fire shots, Smith said.

It’s not clear if any other people are inside the suspect’s home, she said.

Several schools in the area are on lockdown, according to law enforcement sources.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have responded to the scene.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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How one Montana town turned around decades of pollution into new opportunities

How one Montana town turned around decades of pollution into new opportunities
How one Montana town turned around decades of pollution into new opportunities
Eric Yang/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — The Anaconda Smelter Stack has been a towering landmark for the town of Anaconda, Montana, but it was also one of the factors behind the decades of environmental damage that is still being cleaned up.

Standing at over 585 feet tall, the stack was once used as part of the town’s copper processing and spread heavy metals and arsenic over 300 square miles, destroying vegetation and killing animals.

But after more than decades of pollution remediation work by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other groups, the city has been on the rebound. Greener grass, cleaner homes, and even an 18-hole golf course have popped up in the last couple of years.

“So to have a lot of this vegetation coming back, it’s really, really something neat,” said Charlie Coleman, the former project manager for the EPA’s Anaconda Smelter Remedial project.

And while Coleman and others said Anaconda’s turnaround is a success story that can be replicated across the country, residents in other parts of the state that are dealing with similar pollution fallout say they need more work and resources.

From 1884 to 1981, copper ore processed in Anaconda helped electrify the nation, and made coins, car radiators, air conditioning systems and other machines.

In 1983, two years after the copper plant closed down, the EPA designed the plant a Superfund site after it was determined that the nearby soil and water were polluted with hazardous chemicals.

Coleman worked in tandem with various government agencies, city officials and the mine’s owner, the Atlantic Richfield Company, which is a subsidiary of BP, to remove contaminants from the soil and waterways to acceptable levels.

Among the work done was removing 3 million cubic yards of waste, replanting new vegetation, wetlands and soil, cleaning local rivers and removing toxic dust from attics.

“We’ve cleaned up nearly three-quarters of the community,” Coleman said, adding that work will continue for at least one more year.

Some slate piles could not be moved, so the environmentalists came up with a plan to cover the piles and revegetate on top of them.

The EPA said the clean dirt on top dilutes any lingering containments to acceptable levels, under 400 parts per million.

Anaconda was recently taken off the EPA’s Superfund list.

Bill Everett, the CEO of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, told ABC News that the town struggled economically due to the pollution, but the cleanup has now led to a rise in developments, businesses attractions and new residents.

“The community had to scramble, find employment elsewhere, move in other directions, and try to somehow make this an economically stable community. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for 40 years and we’re just now finally starting to recover from that,” Everett said.

Environmentalists said the Anaconda smelter stack spread pollution throughout the area, and residents of nearby Butte, Montana said they’ve been disappointed with the Superfund cleanup effort in their community so far.

Butte was once the site of copper mining and the town sent their ore to Anaconda for processing, however, the operation left mine waste like lead and arsenic all over the community.

“I grew up across the street from mine dump that was called the Yellow Hill,” Butte resident Bill Foley told ABC News. “We’d go play on it and ruin our shoes, now you think about it and it’s crazy that we live like that.”

One of the town’s most contaminated sites is the Berkeley Pit, a colossal hole in the ground that’s flooded with one of the largest bodies of polluted water in the United States.

Cleanup has been going on since the 1980s but residents said the remediation efforts have been slow as the hillsides have many dead zones and there is toxic wastewater in the creek that runs through the middle of town.

Evan Barrett, a Butte resident, told ABC News that he has been frustrated by the EPA’s lead contamination guidelines that state levels must be 1,200 parts per million. Anaconda’s Superfund standards were 400 parts per million, according to Barrett.

“We have three times as much lead in the soil than they do over in Anaconda which makes no sense whatsoever,” he said.

There appears to be some hope as the EPA recently released new national guidance on lead contamination that may lead to a reduction in that 1,200 parts per million standard.

Aaron Urdiales, the director of Superfund and emergency management division for EPA Region Eight, told ABC News that he is aware of Butte residents’ concerns and noted that the data shows a decline in blood lead levels in the town.

“We’ve upped our public engagement. We’re pushing more for transparency within the data. But we do understand the concerns,” he said.

 

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Three police officers shot in Washington, DC

Three DC police officers shot while trying to serve arrest warrant; suspect barricaded, firing shots: Police
Three DC police officers shot while trying to serve arrest warrant; suspect barricaded, firing shots: Police
avid_creative/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Three police officers were shot in Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning with all suffering non-life-threatening injuries, according to D.C. police.

Authorities said the shooting scene “remains active.”

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding.

Story developing…

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