stockpiles is collected and treated on-site at a water treatment plant, then discharged into Blue Creek, which enters the Spokane Arm of Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake. In 2001, the State of Washington decided that a ground water pump-back system was no longer effective in reducing contamination. It directed DMC to prepare a Corrective Action Assessment of remediation alternatives. The final cleanup plan for the site, projected to cost approximately $193 million, was issued in a Record of Decision on 29 September 2006, which called for a cap over the area of pits back-filled with waste during mining, consolidation and containment of the remaining waste within the two remnant open pits, removal of water entering the pits, and operation of a treatment system to treat contaminated water from the pits and seeps. In 2007, ground water tests had commenced. The EPA finalised a Consent Decree in January 2012, with DMC and Newmont to complete the cleanup work, and the federal government contributing a share of the cleanup costs. The EPA will oversee the cleanup work in coordination with the Spokane Tribe. Dawn and Newmont completed the engineering design of the cleanup works in October 2015. In May 2016 site preparation works for the environmental cleanup began, including installation of contractor facilities, access road construction and stockpile relocation. The major components of the cleanup are planned for the period from 2017 to 2024. See also List of Superfund sites in Washington (state) References Buildings and structures in Stevens County, Washington Uranium mines in the United States Surface mines in the United States Mines in Washington (state) Superfund sites in Washington (state) 1955 establishments in Washington (state) 1981 disestablishments in Washington (state)