Picher Lead District Field Survey

1. Industrial Powerhouse of the 20th Century

Picher was once the heart of the Tri-State Mining District, providing over 50% of the lead and zinc consumed by the United States military during World War I. At its height, over 20,000 residents lived in Picher, surrounded by processing mills and towering mounds of chat—toxic mine waste consisting of fine gravel and crushed rock.

2. Environmental Degradation & Hazard Evolution

Decades of unmanaged sub-surface excavation left vast underground caverns beneath the municipality. As water pumps were shut off after operations ceased in the 1970s, toxic heavy metals leached directly into the regional groundwater table and local waterways, notably Tar Creek.

Furthermore, winds carried fine toxic dust off the giant chat piles directly into residential backyards, contributing to elevated blood-lead levels in local children that exceeded standard safety thresholds by up to four times.

3. Dissolution and Abandonment

In 2006, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a report finding that 86% of Picher's commercial and residential structures were at risk of imminent collapse due to shallow undermine cavities. In response, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a mandatory federal buyout. The city's municipal charter was officially revoked in 2009.