Organization. Department of Natural Resources. Division of Reclamation Mining & Safety. Office of Active Mines. Office of Inactive Mines

Transcription

1

2 Organization Department of Natural Resources Division of Reclamation Mining & Safety Office of Active Mines Office of Inactive Mines Coal Program Minerals Program Abandoned Mined Lands Mine Safety

3 Colorado s Abandoned Mined Land Program Overview Over 23,000 hazardous mines 1300 miles of impacted streams result from past (historic) mining AML Program initiated in 1980 Closed approximately 10,000 mines to date

4 Program Goals Identify hazards and environmental problems arising from abandoned mines Design appropriate closure methods and reclamation techniques for project sites Reclaim and safeguard abandoned mine hazards and environmental problems

5 AML Types of Projects Safeguard abandoned mines- coal and hard rock (pre-1977) 319 water quality projects- EPA, CDPHE, etc.. (partner with other agencies) Bond Forfeiture Reclamation Projects (mining permit revoked and bond forfeited) Coal Mine Fires Bulkhead construction Cultural/Historic Preservation

6 Dangerous Mine Openings

7

8 US Tue Sep 8, :55pm Dog rescued from 200-feet mine shaft by Colorado firefighters DENVER

9 Mine Fire Projects 34 active mine fires throughout the state All fires will be visited and evaluated for reclamation/ surface fire mitigation needs Evaluation will include snowmelt studies, temperature monitoring, vegetation evaluation, etc.

10 Coal Mine Subsidence- Marshall, CO

11

12 Boulder- Fourmile Fire Area & Associated Mines

13 DRMS Safeguarding Process DRMS locates Mine- record/gps/ dimensions/map/photos. Mine site included in a project. Project approved in the grant for funding (OSM, BLM, USFS, Boulder County, Sev Tax). Must have consent from landowner. NEPA related work (Cultural/ Historical surveys, T&E, bat surveys). Competitive bid (State Procurement Rules apply). Construction. Landowner is responsible for future maintenance.

14

15 EG28 Before & After LG01 Before & After

16 Mine Closure- BMP s

17 Dinero Tunnel Underground Bulkhead Leadville, Lake County, Colorado

18 Impaired Waters 303(d) List of Water-Quality-Limited Segments Requiring TMDLs (Regulation 93) Establishes Colorado s List of Water- Quality-Limited Segments Requiring Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) 303(d) List identifies those waterbodies where there are exceedances of water quality standards or non-attainment of uses. Includes waters impaired as a result of non-point source and point-source discharges.

19 Colorado Approved TMDLs- CDPHE 2016 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report

20 Mining Related Impacts Point Source Non-Point Source

21 Point Source: Mine Drainage Point source pollution is defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe Boulder County is in a mineralized area that was extensively mined in the late 1800 s. Historic mining activities increased the exposure of the mineralized rock to atmospheric conditions. This exposure increased the amount of heavy metals and acidity reaching surface water and sediments- acid mine drainage. Common Metals- zinc, copper, lead, aluminum, iron, manganese.

22 Point Source-Mine Drainage Over 2,000 mines safeguarded in Boulder County. Several hundred more remain open. 4% are draining adits. Mostly drain in the Spring. 7 sites in Boulder are currently being sampled for metals.

23 Typical Draining Mines

24 Sawthmore Mine, Boulder The deluge of water from the Swathmore Mine on Sept. 21, 2015 temporarily turned the creek orange and led officials to briefly shut down water intake systems downstream. EPA noted discharge was not toxic, but sent in water samples for testing.

25 Non-Point Source Nonpoint source pollution comes from diffuse sources and is caused by rainfall/snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away and deposits (natural & human made) in waterways. DRMS works with CDPHE and EPA on 319 Projects that contain heavy metals associated with abandoned mine lands. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)- characterize water quality impacts of abandoned mines to support clean up decisions, planning and measure for water quality improvements.

26 Waste Piles vs. Tailings Waste Rock and overburden are the materials that are removed to access the ore. Tailings consist of ground rock and effluents that are generated during the process of the ore.

27 Nonpoint Source: Waste Piles Most mines have a remanent waste pile Location Location Location Are waste piles impacting water? Do they have high metals? Steep hill sides Lack of roads Tailings or Waste Pile? Soil analysis Several waste piles capped in Boulder County (Captain Jack, Castle Gulch, Bueno Tailings)

28 2014-London Mines Tailings Reclamation Project Alma, Colorado London Tailings Reclamation

29 2015 London Butte Mine Before/After Alma, Colorado London Butte Reclamation Before and After

30