BOZEMAN — A creek that flows into the northeastern corner of Yellowstone National Park is set to be removed from a list of impaired waterways next year.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported Sunday that officials with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality say that Soda Butte Creek now meets quality standards for heavy metals thanks to abandoned mine cleanups that started in the 1990s. The department has received preliminary approval from the EPA to remove the creek from the list in 2018.
The department’s abandoned mine lands program manager, Autumn Coleman, says it will be the first time a stream will be de-listed in the state as the result of a mine cleanup.
The creek flows past the town of Cooke City before entering Yellowstone, where it feeds into the Lamar River.