EPA Research Support Story: Groundwater Characterization and Remediation at the Anaconda Mine Site

Partner: Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Challenge: Groundwater characterization and remediation at the Anaconda Mine Site (Lyon County)
Resource: Technical assistance and review of groundwater background conditions and groundwater characterization to assess the amount and type of groundwater contamination
Project Period: 2004 – 2016

The Anaconda Mine Site has uranium and previous copper ore mining. Hydrology at the Anaconda Mine Site is complex and subject to significant uncertainty, particularly with respect to the effects of local hydrology on long-term contaminant migration. Since naturally occurring sources of uranium and sulfate exist in the area, establishing background concentrations of uranium and sulfate in groundwater is also critical to understanding the extent and magnitude of groundwater contamination.

“ORD’s technical assistance has been essential in characterizing the complex hydrogeological conditions and extent of groundwater contamination at the Anaconda Mine Site, setting the stage for evaluation of remedial options.” – Nevada DEP, Administrator Greg Lovato

EPA Office of Research and Development provided technical assistance on and reviews of estimated background concentrations of site constituents, groundwater characterization, and groundwater/geochemical modeling efforts, as well as technical analyses to be used to evaluate possible remediation options. Nevada DEP Abandoned Mine Land Program, in conjunction with EPA Region 9 (Pacific Northwest), used the analyses provided by ORD to help design both better remediation strategies and better monitoring systems for the abandoned mine complex.

More information can be found on the Anaconda Copper Mine Superfund Site profile.