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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 based out of Butte, Montana and is performed at DOE’s Western Environmental Technology Office (WETO). The technology demonstrations are performed by MSE Technology Applications, Inc. (MSE) while basic research is performed by Montana Tech of the University of Montana. The National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio performs the technical oversight of the program. The U.S. DOE performs the administrative oversight out of their WETO office in Butte, Montana.
Balance
Mining is essential to maintain our way of life. However, based upon industry’s reporting in the most recent Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), the primary sources of heavy metal releases to the environment are mining and mining-related activities. 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.
Significant knowledge and resources are necessary to mitigate the effects that mining has on the environment and ensure sustainable development (efficient extraction and maximum utilization of resources, including all by-products) of the mineral resources of the United States.
For the past 13 years, MWTP has been committed to the developing, evaluating, and deploying technologies that provide innovative solutions to successfully treat active and remote abandoned mines.
Recent Results
The MWTP activities have been very diverse in recent years and 2004 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 to alleviate plugging problems and improve the removal of the most recalcitrant metal—manganese. Indications are that the modifications were successful. 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.
- The Cyanide Heap Biological Detoxification, Phase II project is being implemented at Placer Dome’s Cortez Gold Mine in northeastern Nevada. Biological heap detoxification is a process that uses bacteria to detoxify a spent heap leach pad by destroying cyanide, nitrates, and sulfates and removing metals. The project is being completed in collaboration with Placer Dome Inc., which has provided financial and in-kind contributions to the project. Discussions are ongoing to transfer this technology to other Placer Dome properties.
- 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. 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.
More results attained by the MWTP in 2004 are presented in this annual report.
Partnerships
It is important to achieve cost-sharing partnerships with private industry, academia, and other agencies to test technologies at different mine sites. 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. The EPA has strong interaction, cooperation, and assistance from the mining teams in the EPA Regional Offices.
Approach
A request for proposals goes out periodically when funding is available. The Technical Integration Committee (TIC) is in charge of reviewing and ranking the proposals. The TIC is composed of technical experts from EPA and cooperating agencies, academia, environmental stakeholders, and industry and their consultants. Final reports are additionally peer-reviewed in accordance with EPA’s strict policy for scientific products.
New Program Direction
During 2004, new MWTP management personnel were assigned at MSE, EPA-National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), and Montana Tech. The changes in management have provided an excellent opportunity for positive evolution of the program. The MWTP is evolving into an issues-driven program focused on working with other entities to move toward solutions to one of the biggest environmental issues facing the United States and the world.
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 EPA-NRMRL MWTP Project Officer |
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. Environmental impacts associated with inactive and abandoned mines are common to mining districts around the country, as shown in Table 1. Total estimated remediation costs for these sites range from $32 to $72 billion.
Since 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.
In recent years, environmental practices employed by the mining industry have improved considerably. Installation of best management practices for control of storm water runoff, improvements in treatment of wastewater, better management of tailings and waste rock, and more efficient metal recovery technologies have all contributed to reduced environmental impacts from mining projects, but wastes resulting from mining activities remain a significant issue.
| State | Estimated Number of Sites or Land Areas | Classification and Estimated Number | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 10,910 sites | mine dumps - 1,000 acres disturbed land - 27,680 acres mine openings - 500 hazardous structures - 300 |
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| Arizona | 95,000 sites | polluted water - 2,002 acres mine dumps - 40,000 acres disturbed land - 96,652 acres mine openings - 80,000 |
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| California | 11,500 sites | polluted water - 369,920 acres mine dumps - 171 acres mine openings - 1,685 |
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| Colorado | 20,229 sites covering 26,584 acres |
polluted water - 830,720 acres mine dumps - 11,800 acres disturbed land - 13,486 acres mine openings - 20,229 hazardous structures - 1,125 |
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| Idaho | 8,500 sites covering 18,465 acres |
polluted water - 84,480 acres mine dumps - 3,048 acres disturbed land - 24,495 acres mine openings - 2,979 hazardous structures - 1,926 |
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| Michigan | 400–500 sites | Accurate information not available. | ||||||||||
| Montana | 19,751 sites covering 11,256 acres |
polluted water - 715,520 acres mine dumps - 14,038 acres disturbed land - 20,862 acres mine openings - 4,668 hazardous structures - 1,747 |
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| Nevada | 400,000 sites | Accurate information not available. | ||||||||||
| New Mexico | 7,222 sites covering 13,585 acres |
polluted water - 44,160 acres mine dumps - 6,335 acres disturbed land - 25,230 acres mine openings - 13,666 hazardous structures - 658 |
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| Oregon | 3,750 sites | polluted water - 140,800 acres mine dumps - 180 acres disturbed land - 61,000 acres mine openings - 3,750 hazardous structures - 695 |
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| South Dakota | 4,775 acres | Accurate information not available. | ||||||||||
| Texas | 17,300 acres | Accurate information not available. | ||||||||||
| Utah | 14,364 sites covering 12,780 acres |
polluted water - 53,120 acres mine dumps - 2,369 acres disturbed land - 18,873 acres mine openings - 14,364 hazardous structures - 224 |
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| Wisconsin | 200 acres | Accurate information not available. | ||||||||||
| Wyoming | 5,000 acres | Accurate information not available. | ||||||||||
Information was collected from the following sources and is only an estimate of the mine waste problem.
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