Last week I put together a list of the 9 deepest lakes in the world, and where the Berkley Pit fits into that list. (That list can be found at the end of this article)

So, let’s talk about the Berkley Pit and the truly mind-numbing amount of toxic water that is on the hill. The Berkley pit as of last report holds 52 billion gallons of water. (For comparison, Georgetown Lake holds 14.6 billion gallons of water) That is just in the pit, in the 9,474 miles of reported, flooded mine shafts, is another 80 billion gallons of toxic water. Let’s not forget the Yankee Doodle tailings pond, with 6.5 billion gallons of water. That brings us to an approximate total of 153.5 BILLION gallons of toxic water on the hill.

The good news is that over 6 billion gallons of treated water has been discharged from the Polishing Plant at Montana Street, and pumped into Silver Bow Creek thus far.

So that brings me to my point, why wouldn’t anyone love the Berkley Pit? I decided to look into the reviews of the Pit on Trip Advisor, and find out what people had to say. To be truthful most people were pretty good, understanding the history and process of remediation. BUT there were a few I had to share. These are honest-to-goodness actual reviews of the Berkley Pit.

First- quick and to their point..

Aug 2019 • (Couple from S.Dakota)

WOW, this is a tourist attraction?

If you want to know what a Superfund site looks and smells like, this is the place to go. Don’t stay long though, the visit may be hazardous to your health.

Yea. Thanks, I guess… Number 2

Everyone’s Favorite Superfund Site -Jul 2019

A monument to greed and the extent to which people will allow their homes to be used as a heavy metal toilet for a boom-and-bust economy. Lotta good people here still trying to get the last little bit of goody out of the Richest Hill on Earth.

The 3rd is an absolute CHARMER, they probably didn’t make many friends at the M&M. So I am going to shorten their 'review' for time, otherwise we’d be here awhile.

Jun 2018 • (no home state listed)

This is a giant toxic waste pit full of mine run off. It is so toxic that if a bird lands on the surface it dies instantly. many visitors feel sick within a day and it last at least a few hours to a day. As humans we generally try to stay away from this stuff at all costs. In Butte they call it an attraction. Read about it. Look at photo's online. But for god's sake , realize you are staring at what for all intents and purposes should be encased in barrels and buried very very deep. You really want your kids breathing that in. You really wanna breath that in yourself?

Thank you, Doctor. Both Physician, AND Veterinarian it would appear. 

Let's wrap it up with entry #4, and what I think is my favorite. 

A Pitiful Experience (Idaho couple)

I took my girlfriend on a date to the pit when we were in butte. While it is very affordable, she was not too impressed. It's not pretty and it probably took six months off our lives. Do yourself and your longevity a favor by avoiding this hazard. This attraction is about as great as butte in general.

First, Capitalize my city’s name. Second, you took your wife to the pit on a date? Really? Did you contemplate a nice steak dinner at Casagranda’s, after a beverage at Headframe? Or did you just decide, Yup Date Night at the Pit!

Maybe you shouldn’t plan a date ever again….Ever.

So there you have it, a couple of the 1* reviews of the Berkley Pit on Tripadvisor.

Maybe not date night material.

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10 Deepest lakes in the World

A rundown of the 10 deepest bodies of water on Earth

 

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