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Introduction
Introductory Message
Background
The Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) is a congressionally mandated program that was started in 1991. It is an interagency agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The program is headquartered at the Mike Mansfield Advanced Technology Center in Butte, Montana. The technology demonstrations are performed by MSE Technology Applications, Inc. (MSE), while basic research is performed by Montana Tech of the University of Montana and other academic institutions. The National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio, performs the technical oversight of the program. DOE performs program administrative oversight.
Balance
Mining is essential to maintain our way of life, but significant investment is necessary to mitigate the effects that mining has on the environment and ensure sustainable development of the mineral resources of the United States.
For the past 14 years, MWTP has been committed to developing, evaluating,
and deploying technologies that provide innovative solutions to successfully
treat active and remote abandoned mines at substantial cost savings compared
to traditional technologies.
2005 Results
The MWTP activities have been very diverse in recent years, and 2005 is no different. Highlights are summarized below:
- During the summer of 2004, MSE implemented modifications to the Integrated Passive Biological Treatment at the Surething Mine in Montana to alleviate plugging problems and improve the removal of the most recalcitrant metal—manganese. These modifications were successful and results through the summer of 2005 indicated that over 90% of the manganese is now being removed. The investment by MWTP to modify this system will lead to a better understanding of how to design, operate, and maintain passive biological systems for treating acid rock drainage at remote sites.
- Over the past 3 years, the Anchor Hill Pit at the Gilt Edge Mine National Priorities List (NPL) site near Deadwood, South Dakota, has been the site of a joint effort by EPA Region 8 and the MWTP. During 2005, over 10 million gallons of treated water was discharged from the Anchor Hill Pit after meeting South Dakota discharge standards. The project’s aim is to demonstrate and evaluate an innovative in-situ process for treating approximately 70 million gallons of acidic mine water containing high levels of dissolved metals, selenium nitrate, and sulfate. EPA estimates that in-situ use of this technology will avoid 20% to 50% of the operational costs associated with a conventional water treatment plant. Full-scale use of the pit in an operational mode is anticipated in the future.
- Since 2002, the MWTP in collaboration with the Deer Lodge Valley Conservation District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Bridger Plant Materials Center has been evaluating acid/heavy metal tolerant plant species near Anaconda, Montana. The soils at the test site have a pH of about 4.5 with several hundreds of parts per million of arsenic, copper, lead, and zinc. Several seed releases have resulted from this project to ensure that suitable species exist for reclamation efforts in the Northern Rocky Mountain Region.
More results attained by the MWTP in 2005 are presented in this annual report.
Partnerships
Partnerships were continued with private industry, academia, and other government agencies. Within EPA, the program is coordinated and teamed, where appropriate, with the Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program to leverage the funding and maximize the effectiveness of both programs. Strong collaboration occurred between the MWTP and EPA Regional Offices, particularly Regions 8 and 10. The EPA also has strong interaction, cooperation, and assistance from the mining teams in the EPA Regional Offices.
Future Program Direction
During 2005, the MWTP evolved into an issues-driven program focused on working with other entities to move toward solutions for one of the largest environmental issues facing the United States and the world. A major challenge for the MWTP will be meeting the need for this work with the decreased, limited funding available.
In 2006, coal projects will be added. By combining the knowledge base and
research and development work on wastes from coal and metal mining, a
synergism will be developed that would avoid duplication of effort and
would lead to the development of an increased number of new strategies
for dealing with mine waste.
With this annual report, the MWTP recognizes its major accomplishments
and looks forward to continuing to provide innovative, economical,
sustainable solutions for hard-rock mine waste problems in the
United States.
| Diana R. Bless |
Helen O. Joyce MSE MWTP Program Manager |
Introduction
Presently, there are more than eighty abandoned mining sites on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List (NPL). Many of these sites are categorized as mega-NPL sites (those that cost more than $50 million to cleanup). Mining waste generated by active and inactive mining production facilities and its impact on human health and the environment are a growing problem for government entities, private industry, and the general public. The nation's reported volume of mine waste is immense. Primary sources of heavy metal releases to the environment are mining and mining-related activities based on industry’s reporting in the most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). It found that the hard-rock mining industry released 3.5 billion pounds of toxic pollution in 1998, almost half of all toxic pollution released that year in the United States. Total estimated remediation costs for these sites range from $32 to $72 billion.
Because many of the mines are composed of sulfide minerals, the production of acid rock drainage is a common problem from these abandoned mine sites. The combinations of acidity, heavy metals, and sediment have severe detrimental environmental impacts on the delicate ecosystems in the West. It is estimated that 40% of watersheds in the West have been negatively impacted by mining activities.
In recent years, environmental practices employed by the mining industry have improved considerably. Installation of best management practices for control of stormwater runoff, improvements in treatment of wastewater, better management of tailings and waste rock, and more efficient metal recovery technologies have all reduced environmental impacts from mining projects, but wastes resulting from mining activities remain a significant issue.