Pollution From Mines in the
"New Lead Belt" of South Eastern Missouri
BOBBY G. WIXSON, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health
ERNST A. BOLTER, Associate Professor of Geochemistry
NICHOLAS H. TIBBS, Research Assistant
ANTHONY R. HANDLER, Research Assistant
The University of Missouri-Rolla
Rolla, Missouri
INTRODUCTION
In the southeastern part of Missouri, the Clark National Forest straddles the
Ozark Plateau and contains the headwaters of some of the most beautiful rivers in the
state. This scenic part of Missouri annually attracts large numbers of people to enjoy
the recreational benefits of the cool springs and clear rivers. However, in 1955, rich
mineral deposits were discovered in this area and by 1962 a rich lead-zinc ore belt was
found to extend for approximately thirty-six miles almost due south from Viburnum,
Missouri, through Iron and Reynolds Counties. The name given this new ore district
was the Viburnum Trend or the "New Lead Belt."
Most of the lead ore was found to occur in the upper part of the Cambrian
Bonneterre Formation, mostly a dolomite, at depths ranging from 700 to 1,200 ft
(1). Galena was the principal ore mineral with lesser quantities of sphalerite and
chalcopyrite.
The state of Missouri is the leading producer of lead in the United States and had
an annual production of 152,649 short tons in 1967 and 210,800 short tons in lead
metal in 1968. The significance of the new lead discovery is reflected by the U.S.
Bureau of Mines Mineral Industry Survey Report (2) that the "New Lead Belt" alone
will have the capacity for mining, concentrating and smelting an annual capacity of
350,000 tons of lead metal. The expansion of existing facilities and development of
new mines will place international significance on the area since it will make south
eastern Missouri the leading lead-producing district in the world. The mining development is located approximately seventy miles southeast of Rolla, Missouri (Figure 1).
A major portion of the lead-bearing property was within the Clark National Forest and
the land must be leased from the U.S. Government in order to develop the lead
reserves.
The streams in the mining district are in the Black River Basin where forests and
farms make up the rolling Ozark landscape. Meager agricultural use and sparse population have helped to keep the streams of this basin relatively unpolluted. Except for
the cleared areas around the mines and scattered farms, the country is densely
covered with oak and shortleaf pine. The climate of the area is moderate with mild
winters and humid summers. Annual precipitation is from 40-44 in. According to the
1960 census, Iron County had a population of 8,041 and Reynolds County a population of 5,161.
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