Picher, Oklahoma, 2008 and present
Once a populous town in the tri-state mining district, in 2009 the EPA deemed Picher, Oklahoma unlivable. Today the town continues to be polluted by chat piles, massive grey hills of mine tailings which contain hazardous levels of lead and other heavy metals.
A road on the outskirts of Picher, 2008 and 2014
A nearby town, Cardin, which had a population of 3 in 2010. It follows a similar story to Picher, with chat piles surrounding what remains of its few buildings. Their rubble remains at risk for collapse due to underground mining. And this is where most of WWI's bullets originated from!
Former residential street of Picher
Town centre. Although it seems impossible, there is currently research being done to remediate the contaminated land, namely by removing mine tailings and utilizing plants to absorb lead and other heavy metals.
