There is no time limit for the Fish and Wildlife Service project.

Burnett said a mine-waste cleanup project began in April, with a contractor working along the state line at Waco, Mo. He said most of the project is on the Kansas side of the border.

He said cleanup work began recently in Baxter Springs, and that the contractor arrived in Treece to begin work there earlier Tuesday.

Burnett said a contract for the Badger and Lawton areas in Cherokee County should be in place by May. He said that project could be complicated.

“That site straddles Spring River,” he said.

Burnett said mine waste is used to fill cave-in pits, then clean fill also is added. The location then is capped with 12 inches of clay and 6 inches of topsoil. Native plants then are planted. The areas aren’t allowed to be developed after cleanup is complete, he said.

The cleanup projects are expected to take up to 10 years.

“It’s moving forward rapidly right now,” Burnett said. “I would say in the next five years, a significant amount will be complete.”

EPA projects

The Environmental Protection Agency projects in Cherokee County are designed to address mine waste in the former Tri-State Mining District, which is now an EPA Superfund site.