EPA-600/2-77-224
NOVEMBER 1977
Environmental Protection Technology Series
             MINE DRAINAGE  CONTROL  FROM  METAL
               MINES IN  A  SU8ALPINE  ENVIRONMENT
                                      A  Feasibility Study
                                  Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
                                       Office of Research and Development
                                       U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                               Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

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                RESEARCH REPORTING SERIES

Research reports of the Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, have been grouped into nine series. These nine broad cate-
gories were established to facilitate further development and  application of en-
vironmental technology. Elimination of  traditional grouping  was  consciously
planned to foster technology transfer and a maximum interface in related fields.
The nine series are:

      1.  Environmental Health Effects Research
      2.  Environmental Protection Technology
      3.  Ecological Research
      4.  Environmental Monitoring
      5.  Socioeconomic Environmental Studies
      6.  Scientific and Technical Assessment Reports (STAR)
      7.  Interagency Energy-Environment Research and Development
      8.  "Special" Reports
      9.  Miscellaneous Reports

This report has been assigned to the ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECH-
 NOLOGY series. This series describes research performed to develop and dem-
 onstrate instrumentation, equipment,  and methodology to repair or prevent en-
 vironmental degradation from point and non-point sources of pcmuxwfr fiTurwork
 provides the new or improved technology required for the control and treatment
 of pollution sources to meet environmental quality standards.
 This document is available to the public through the National Technical Informa-
 tion Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

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                                                   EPA-600/2-77-224
                                                   November 1977
         MINE DRAINAGE CONTROL FROM METAL MINES
               IN A SUBALPINE ENVIRONMENT
                   A Feasibility Study
                           by

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
                   Engineering Bureau
                  Helena, Montana 59601
                    Grant No. S802671
                     Project Officer

                     Ronald D. Hill
              Extraction Technology Branch
      Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
                 Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
      INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
           OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
          U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
                 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45268

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                                 DISCLAIMER

     This report has been reviewed by the Industrial  Environmental  Research
Laboratory, U.S.  Environmental  Protection Agency,  and approved for
publication.  Approval  does not signify that the contents necessarily
reflect the views and policies  of the U.S. Environmental  Protection Agency,
nor does mention of trade names or commercial  products constitute endorse-
ment or recommendation for use.
                                     n

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                                  FOREWORD
     When energy and material resources are extracted, processed, converted,
and used, the related pollutional impacts on our environment and even on our
health often require that new and increasingly more efficient pollution con-
trol methods be used.  The Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory-
Cincinnati (TERL-Ci) assists in developing and demonstrating new and improved
methodologies that will meet these needs both efficiently and economically.

     In this report the technical and economic feasibility of reclaiming
and preventing mine drainage from abandoned metal mines in a subalpine
environment was determined.  Alternative methods of controlling pollution
from surface, and underground mines as well as tailings ponds were evaluated.
This study has been one of the more comprehensive of its kind and the first
for subalpine conditions.

     Results of this work will be especially interesting to State and
Federal agencies concerned with reclamation of abandoned metal mines and
to mining firms faced with reclamation in subalpine environments.  For
further information contact the Resource Extraction and Handling Division.
                                           David G.  Stephan
                                              Director
                            Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory
                                             Cincinnati
                                     iii

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                                  ABSTRACT

     Investigations of the McLaren mine and mill  areas and the Glengary mine
area in the vicinity of Cooke City, Montana, were undertaken from July 1973
through September 1975, to examine the acid mine  drainage (AMD) from these
sources and determine the feasibility of rehabilitating these subalpine
mining areas and mill area.  A biological  study was conducted to determine
the existing degraded biological  conditions of streams affected by AMD and
the extent of reclamation necessary to restore a  viable fishery to the
stream.

     Reclamation proposed includes recontouring and revegetating land sur-
faces, sealing shafts in the mine areas, and isolating the tailings from
Soda Butte Creek.                                        .

     This report was submitted in fulfillment of  Grant No. S802671 under the
sponsorship of the U.S. Environmental Protection  Agency.  The report covers
the period June 18, 1973, to June 30, 1976, and work was completed as of
August 1, 1977.

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                                 CONTENTS

Disclaimer	-	     }]
Foreword   	 .......    iii
Abstract   	     1v
Illustrations  	    vii
Tables	     ix
Acknowledgments  	      x

1.   Introduction 	      1
         Scope	      1
         Objectives  .....  	      1
         Project Description 	      2

2.   Conclusions and Recommendations	*	      3
         Introduction  	      3
         McLaren Mine Area	,  .  .  .  ,      3
         Glengary Mine Area	      4
         McLaren Mill Area	      5

3.   Legal Framework  	  	  ,,.,..,,..      7
         Authority   	,  .  .  ,      7
         Site and Mineral Right Acquisition  ............      7

4.   Environmental Inventory  	      8
         Cultural Environment  	  .  	      8
              Mining History
              Current Social and Economic Conditions
         Physical Environment	  .     10
              Introduction
              Mine Areas
                   Introduction
                   Physical Resources and Conditions
                   Geology
                   Hydrology
                   Water Chemistry
                   The Mixing of Dissimilar Stream Waters
                   Discussion
              Mill Area  -	     48
                   Introduction
                   Geology
                   Tailings Material
                   Hydrology
                   Water Chemistry
                   Discussion

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5.   Biological  Study 	     82
         Introduction  	     82
              Chemical  Sampling
                   Basic Chemical  Parameters and Heavy
                      Metal Analyses
                   Field Physiochemical Determinations
                   Stream Sediment Analyses
              Biological Studies
                   Benthic Insects
                   Fish Shocking
                   Bioassays
                   Fish Tissue Analyses
         Results	    85
              Stillwater-McLaren Mine Area
                   Chemical Sampling
                   Biological Studies
              Clarks Fork-Glengary Mine Area
                   Chemical Sampling
                   Biological Studies
              Soda Butte-McLaren Mill Area
                   Chemical Sampling
                   Biological Studies
         Conclusions and Recommendations  ......  	    101
              Stillwater-McLaren Mine Area
              Clarks Fork-Glengary Mine Area
              Soda Butte-McLaren Mill Area

6.  Reclamation Alternatives  	    1Q3
         McLaren Mine  Area	    193
         Glengary Mine Area	'.'.!.    107
         McLaren Mill  Area	    113
              Mill Tailings  Removal
              Effluent Treatment
              Infiltration Control

References    	    123
Bibliography	!'./'.'.!'.    125

Appendices	    126
    A.   Conversion  Factors	    126
    B.   Climatic  Data	    130
    C.   Methods of Investigation	    132
     D.   Acid Mine  Drainage Effects  on  Streams.	    135
     E.   Water Quality  Analysis  Data	    139
     F.   Chemistry of Snow Samples	    154
     G.   Summary of Well and Drilling Data	    155
     H.   Water Levels-McLaren Mill  Site	    163

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                                   FIGURES

Number                                                                  Page

  1   Location of the study area	   9
  2   Location of Cooke City and the mine and  mill  areas	11
  3   Sketch of the McLaren mine area	  .  13
  4   Sketch of the Glengary mine area	14
  5   Relative percentage of water in the lower Glengary  tunnel  	  16
  6   Geologic map of sec.  11  and part of sec.  2,  T.  9  S.,  R.  14  E.,
        near Cooke City, Montana 	  17
  7   Schematic cross section showing the thickness of  unconsolidated
        deposits at the McLaren mine area	28
  8   Hydrograph for Daisy Creek at site 109,  McLaren mine  area  	  30
  9   Hydrograph for Fisher Creek at site 207,  Glengary mine  area  ....  34
 10   Iron versus sulfate plot for water samples collected  at the
        lower adit (site 205), Glengary mine  area	37
 11   Flow versus specific conductance for waters  collected at sites
        109 and 207	39
 12   Flow versus total  suspended solids for Daisy and  Fisher Creeks
        at their gauging stations.  .  	  42
 13   Metal loads at McLaren mine site for water year 1975	44
 14   Water quality at McLaren mine site (July 30,  1975)	46
 15   Metal loads at Glengary mine site for  water  year  1975 ..  	  47
 16   Sample site location map of the mill tailings area	50
 17   Hydrographs for Soda Butte Creek at sites 317 and 322
        for 1974   	56
 18   Hydrographs for Soda Butte Creek at sites 317 and 322
        for 1975   	57
 19   Location of flow measurement sites at  McLaren mill  site
        (July 21, 1975)	  58
 20   Semi logarithmic plot of Soda Butte Creek hydrographs
        showing base flow for sites 317 and 322	60
 21   Water table map of the McLaren mill  site (May 21, 1974)	62
 22   Water table map of the McLaren mill  site (June 6, 1974)	63
 23   Water table map of the McLaren mill  site (July 12,  1974)	64
 24   Water table map of the McLaren mill  site (July 1, 1975)	65
 25   Water table map of the McLaren mill  site (September 9,  1975).  ...  66
 26   Flow versus sulfate plot for sites 317,  321,  and  322	67
 27   Isopleth map of field pH values from wells at the McLaren mill
        site (July 2, 1975)	  .  .  .  71
 28   Isopleth map of laboratory specific conductance from  wells at
        the McLaren mill site (July 2, 1975)	72
 29   Isopleth map of sulfate concentration  from wells  at the
        McLaren mill site (July 2,  1975)  •	74
                                    vn

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30  Isopleth map of dissolved iron concentration  from wells  at the
       McLaren mill site (July 2, 1975)	75
31  McLaren tailings pond—diagrammatic  vertical  section	76
32  Generalized flow map showing direction of groundwater move-
       ment within the tailings (July 2, 1975) 	   78
33  Metal loads at McLaren mill site for water year 1975	81
34  Location of water quality and biological  sampling stations ....   83
35  Variations in calcium plus magnesium at each  station during
       the study period—Soda Butte Creek	91
36  Variations in sulfate at each station during the study period--
       Soda Butte Creek	92
37  Variations in total alkalinity at each station during the
       study period—Soda Butte Creek	93
38  Dissolved iron concentrations, Soda Butte Creek	95
39  Dissolved iron concentrations at downstream stations 	   95
40  Length-mortality relationship in two bioassays in Soda Butte
       Creek	9.9
41  Proposed McLaren mine reclamation plan 	  104
42  Cross section of air seal	109
43  Cross section of bulkhead seal	109
44  Proposed Glengary mine reclamation plan	110
45  Cross section of McLaren mill pile and Soda Butte Creek
       before and  after tailings removal  . .   ,	  114
46  Proposed  location of treatment plant and  settling pond at
       McLaren mill area	117
47  Proposed  lime neutralization process at McLaren mill area	118
48  Cross section of  proposed dam at McLaren  mill tailings pile.  ...  120
49  Proposed  location of new dam and proposed Soda Butte Creek
       channel at McLaren mill  area	121
                                  PHOTOS

  1   Upper Glengary  mine  area  showing disturbed area	21
  2   Upper Glengary  mine  area  showing collapsed  mine adit	22
  3   McLaren  mine  area  showing disturbed area	  24
  4   McLaren  mill  area  showing Soda Butte Creek	'.        49
  5   Soda  Butte Creek near  site 317	'        55

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                                   TABLES

Numbers                                                               Page

  1    McLaren Mine Area Stream-flow Data	     25
  2    McLaren Mine Observation Well--Depth to Water 	     27
  3    Glengary Mine Observation Wells—Depth to Water	     31
  4    Fisher Creek Area Stream-flow Data	     33
  5    Precipitation Data From Storage Precipitation Gauge,
         Fisher Creek Drainage Basin  . . .	     35
  6    Impact of a Storm on Runoff Quality  At Site 103	     45
  7    Chemical Analyses of Drill  Holes, McLaren Mill  Site 	     52
  8    McLaren Mill Site Streamflow Data	     54
  9    Flow Measurements Around McLaren Mill  Tailings  Pond,
         June 21, 1975	     59
 10    Heavy Metal Analyses of Stream Gravels, Stillwater
         Drainage	     87
 11    Heavy Metal Concentrations  in  Fish Flesh from the
         Still water-McLaren Mine Stations,  September 1975	     88
 12    Heavy Metal Analyses of Stream Gravels, Clarks  Fork
         Drainage. . . .	     89
 13    Heavy Metal Concentrations  in  Fish Flesh from the
         Clarks Fork-Glengary Mine  Stations, September 1975 ....     90
 14    Heavy Metal Analyses of Stream Gravels, Soda Butte Creek.  .  .     94
 15    Total  and Average Number of Behthic  Insects Collected
         in Soda Butte Creek	     96
 16    Comparative Water Quality Data from  Station 322 and
         100% Soda Butte Creek Water	     98
 17    Heavy Metal Concentrations  in  Fish Flesh from the
         Soda Butte-McLaren Mill  Sites	   100
 18    Characteristics of Mine Waste  Materials at McLaren
         Mine Site	  .   105
 19    Cost of Reclamation at McLaren Mine  Site	   107
 20    Characteristics of Mine Waste  Materials at Glengary
         Mine Site	   Ill
 21    Cost of Reclamation at Glengary Mine Site	   112
 22    Cost of Removing McLaren Mill  Tailings	   115
 23    Cost of Treating Effluent from McLaren Mill  Tailings	   119
 24    Cost of Controlling Infiltration into the McLaren Mill
         Dump	   122
                                    IX

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                               ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

     The Department of Natural  Resources  and  Conservation would  like to thank
Richard B.  Berg,  Grove L.  Higgins  Jr.,  Marvin R. Miller, John L.  Sonderegger,
Joseph J. Wallace Jr., and Laurence  A.  Wegelin  of  the Montana Bureau of Mines
and Geology and Ken Knudson of  the Montana  Department of Fish and Game who
provided most of the work and study  involved  in this project.

     A special thanks is extended  to Albert Brubaker, a local resident of
Silver Gate, Montana, who provided many hours of untiring  labor  in  collect-
ing water samples, streamflow measurements, and performing  other odd jobs
for the project.

     The Department also wishes to thank  personnel  from the Custer  National
Forest, Gallatin National Forest, and the  U.S. Forest Service, Forestry
Science Laboratory, Ogden, Utah for  their cooperation and  input  to  the study.

     The following Department staff  also  contributed to this project:
Richard L. Bondy, Project Manager; Michael  R. Brown, Project Coordinator;
Ann W. Crowner, Editor; and Melvin F.  McBeath,  Hydrographer.

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                                  SECTION  1

                                 INTRODUCTION
     The purpose of this project was to conduct a feasibility study of
techniques for reduction and treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) in an
alpine/subalpine environment near Cooke City, Montana.  A general discussion
of the chemistry of AMD and its effects on streams is contained in Appendix D.
The basic approach to the study included five study-work plans:  a geo-
hydrology study, water quality study, biological study, on-site evaluation of
rehabilitation techniques, and visual resources study.  The data collection
included installation of groundwater level and stream gauging stations, and
water quality sampling of both surface water and groundwater.


                                 Objectives

     The objectives of the feasibility study were:

     1.  To select the proper techniques to rehabilitate areas producing AMD
in an alpine/subalpine environment and to demonstrate that AMD from hard rock
mining can be controlled if proper preventive and corrective measures are
taken.  This is the major objective.

     2.  To assist mining companies or any other private concerns interested
in the minerals of the area in determining the best methods of rehabilitation
should they again mine the area.

     3.  To select the proper techniques to prevent further degradation of
water quality in the Stillwater River, and Soda Butte and Fisher Creeks and
to maintain the present fisheries in these streams.

     4.  To select the proper techniques to improve the water quality and to
promote, where feasible,  fisheries in the reaches of the Stillwater River,
and Soda Butte and Fisher Creeks  that are already contaminated  and sterile.

     5.  To determine ways in which aesthetic values can be restored.   The
area,  especially that contaminated reach of Soda Butte Creek near Cooke City,
is viewed by many people  as they  enter or leave Yellowstone National  Park.

     6.  To establish the feasibility of revegetating the old mine workings.

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                             Project Description


     The Montana Department of Natural  Resources  and Conservation  (DNRC)  di-
rected the AMD feasibility study and contracted with the Montana Bureau  of
Mines and Geology to conduct a hydrogeological  study of the project sites,
including water quality studies.  The Montana  Department of Fish and Game
was contracted to do a biological  study of the streams affected by AMD.

     Initial field work in 1973 included selection and sampling of several
surface water quality monitoring stations at each of the three project sites.
Ten observation wells were installed in the McLaren mill tailings  pond area
to study the groundwater regime of the tailings.   Water levels were monitored,
and each well was sampled periodically for water  quality determinations.

     Flow measurements, water level  measurements, and water sampling contin-
ued throughout the winter and spring of 1973-74,  as weather conditions per-
mitted.  Most of the project sites were accessible only by snowmobile; exces-
sive snow depth and lost markers resulted in minimal data collection during
part of the season.

     A late spring delayed field work in 1974 until July.  Additional ob-
servation wells were installed at the mill and mine sites in August   Three
stream-gauging stations were installed in August, one in each of the three
drainages involved below the AMD sources.

     The 1975 field season included general geological review of the area and
investigation of several suspected area of natural acid water formation.  The
hydrologic  systems of the mine area were studied in more detail   An under-
ground inspection of the Glengary mine was conducted, and a mobile auger,
contracted  from the Montana Highway Department, was used for deeper drilling
in the mine areas.  The auger also drilled 21 core and auger holes in the
McLaren mill  tailings.  A seepage run on Soda Butte Creek was made adjacent
to the tailings.  Periodic sample collecting and streamflow and water level
measuring continued through September 1975.

      During the field season of 1975, a biological study was conducted to
determine the existing degraded biological conditions of the streams within
the  project area, and to  determine the extent of reclamation necessary to
restore  a viable  fishery  to the streams.

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                                  SECTION 2

                       CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


                                Introduction

     The factors influencing the extent of acid mine drainage in a subalpine
environment appear to be:  (1) mining methods employed, (2) topographic
setting, (3) type and extent of mineralization, and (4) geologic setting
and association.

     We believe that rehabilitation at the McLaren mine, Glengary mine, and
the McLaren mill sites is needed and feasible.  The mine sites are above
2,743 m in a subalpine environment; the fragile nature of this type of
ecosystem has been recognized, but the development of adequate rehabili-
tation procedures is still in the preliminary experimental stage.  Experi-
mental data from demonstration projects in this type of environment are
definitely needed, as preliminary data gathered by the U.S. Forest Service
show that introduced plant species are not capable of coping with the
environment and providing the vegetative cover needed for slope stabiliza-
tion.  Projections of America's need for and potential supplies of mineral
commodities (USGS, 1975; Haggard, 1975; Carson, 1975) suggest that this
fragile environment will be further exploited for mining in the future.
Conclusions and recommendations for rehabilitation at the three sites
investigated are presented below.


                              McLaren Mine Area

     During the 1975 water year (October 1, 1974 through September 30, 1975),
the McLaren mine area contributed 154,800 kg acidity, 220,600 kg sulfate,
and 14,500 kg of iron to Daisy Creek, a tributary of the Stillwater River.
The mine area (6.9 ha) included 96,000 m3 of disturbed mine material  from
an open pit gold mine and an adit to a small  underground mine.  No fish or
benthic insects were found in Daisy Creek just below the mine.  Even  at a
site 3 km from the mine no fish were found, and the total  of benthic  insects
was severely reduced.  Only two insects were found on four sampling dates.
A bioassay conducted at this site resulted in all  ten fish dying within 24
hours.  Heavy metal  analysis of the fish tissues from the bioassay revealed
high concentrations  of aluminum and copper, probably the cause of fish
mortality.

     The major problem at the McLaren mine site is the ponding of snowmelt
and rainfall  waters  in the disturbed areas, resulting in runoff and ground-
water emerging with  high, heavy metal concentrations.   A reclamation  plan

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for reducing polluted runoff and groundwater flows  is  to  bury  the  high
sulfide materials in existing depressions  and slope the disturbed  area  with
suitable cover material.   The cover material  should be treated with  lime  to
improve the plant-growing characteristics  of the  cover soil.   The  soil
should then be fertilized, planted with native seed or cuttings from plants,
and mulched to prevent erosion.   Grading should be  conducted  in one  year, and
those areas not seeded the first year should be covered with mulch to pre-
vent erosion.  Any revegetation  program should be coordinated  with the
U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Forest  and Range Experiment Station  at
Ogden, Utah.

     The reclamation alternative also includes the  construction of a lined
drain trench from the seeps at the base of the highwall across the dis-
turbed area, as well as a drain  trench above the distrubed area to drain
runoff away from the area.  It has been estimated that this reclamation
alternative would decrease the metal load that enters  Daisy Creek  by
79 percent.  Cost of the reclamation at this site is estimated at  $292,000:

     Based upon the available information related to the mine area and the
present data available concerning revegetation in a subalpine environment,
it is recommended that a reclamation and revegetation  program.be initiated
at the McLaren mine site as described in Section 6, Reclamation Alternatives.
In conjunction with the reclamation activities, surface and groundwater
should be monitored with respect to flow and quality,  during and after
construction.
                             Glengary Mine Area

     The Glengary mine area contributed 28,000 kg acidity, 54,400 kg
 sulfate, 2,180 kg iron, and 1,720 kg aluminum to Fisher Creek during the
 1975 water year.  The major mine adit contributes almost half of these
 pollutants except for iron.  The iron discharge was greater from the adit
 than that found in the creek, because the iron precipitated as the mine
 water  flowed  to the creek sampling point.  At a site on Fisher Creek 4 km
 below  the mine, a benthic insect survey showed 5.25 organisms per 0.08 m2,
 as  compared to 12 organisms at the control site.  A 60-hour bioassay at this
 site revealed no mortalities.  The heavy metal concentrations in the flesh of
 the bioassay  fish were low at the Fisher Creek site.

     Two sources of pollution in the Glengary mine^area are the mine adit
 and the disturbed area near Lulu Pass.  The major problem at the mine adit
 is  the infiltration into the mine from two raises and from groundwater
 seeps  through a fracture about 320 m from the portal.  The problem at the
 disturbed area near Lulu Pass is the ponding of snowmelt and rainfall waters
 which  eventually pass through the disturbed material.  Some of the ponded
 water  could also be a source of groundwater to the mine.

     A reclamation plan for the Glengary mine area  involves regrading and
 revegetating  the disturbed area near Lulu Pass in a manner similar to the
 reclamation plan for the McLaren mine area.  The two  raises to the mine
 should be sealed, and the  ground around  the raises  graded to slope away

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 from  the  raises.  The mine  portals  should  be  sealed with  either a bulkhead
 or  air  seal.  An  air seal reduces oxidation of pyrites  in the mine and is not
 a permanent seal  if the mine  is  to  be  reopened.  A bulkhead seal is not as
 easy  to remove as an air seal, and  the flooded mine waters pose an AMD
 problem if the bulkhead seal  is  removed.   Reclamation should also include
 grading and revegetating the  mine dump near the outlet  of the Glengary mine.

      Grading  and  revegetating the disturbed area near Lulu Pass should
 increase  the  runoff and decrease the production of acid load.  It is
 estimated that the acid load  from the disturbed area whould be reduced by
 90  percent.   Cost of grading  and revegetation is estimated at $95,700.  An
 air seal  installed in the mine portals and grading should reduce the acid
 load  originating  in the Fisher Creek drainage by 79 percent.  A bulkhead
 seal  and  grading  should reduce discharge loads from the Fisher Creek
 drainage  by 93 percent.  Cost of the air seal is $18,000 and a bulkhead
 seal  is $54,000.

      It is recommended that the disturbed area near Lulu Pass be graded and
 revegetated,  the  two mine raises the sealed, and an air seal be installed
 in  the  mine portals of the Glengary mine.  The mine dump near the Glengary
 mine  should be graded and revegetated.  A monitoring program to gather
 water quality and streamflow  data should be conducted during and after
 construction.


                              McLaren Mi 11  Area

      Dur.ing 1975, the McLaren mill  area contributed 337,900 kg sulfate, and
 113,900 kg iron to Soda Butte Creek.  The mill tailings area is 260 and 150
 m,  and  the tailings depth ranges from 0.03 to 9.7 m.   The total number of
 benthic insects was severely  reduced in Soda Butte Creek immediately below
 the tailings.   Full  recovery of benthic insects occurred 20 km downstream.
 Two 96-hour bioassays in Soda Butte Creek just below the tailings area
 resulted  in 100 percent mortality on the  first test and 80 percent  on the
 second.   Heavy metal  analysis of the fish tissues revealed the iron
 concentration to be at least seven  times  higher in fish at this site as
 compared to fish from other sites.   Iron  appeared to  be the cause of the
mortality.

     The major source of AMD at the McLaren mill  area is the mill  tailings
 pile.   Water infiltrates the tailings material from Soda Butte Creek,
 from snowmelt and rainfall,  and from runoff from the  drainage above the
tailings pile.  Waters  that  enter the tailings,  react with the sulfide
tailings minerals, and  pass  through the tailings,  return as  mineralized
springs, seeps,  and groundwater,  and degrade Soda Butte Creek below the
tailings pond.

     Three different alternatives were examined  for reducing the  AMD into
Soda Butte Creek:   (1)  mill  tailings removal,  (2)  effluent treatment,  and
 (3)  infiltration  control.  The first alternative  would remove all mill
tailings from  their  present  location, revegetate  the  disturbed area,  and
rechannel  Soda Butte  Creek back to  its original  channel.  Removal of the

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tailings would effectively remove the  source of  AMD,  and the  heavy metal
loads entering Soda Butte  Creek at the McLaren mill  area would be  reduced
100 percent.   Disposal  areas  for the  tailings material  are old mine shafts,
a new location free from surface or groundwater  infiltration, or concentrat-
ing and smeltering at East Helena, Montana.   The cost of removing  the tail-
ings and reshaping the  area is estimated at  $302,650; the cost of  disposal
at old mines  is $68,700, new  location  $139,400,  and  smelting  $3,045,000.

     The second alternative of effluent treatment consists of building two
dams and a typical lime treatment plant.  This alternative should  reduce iron
loads to Soda Butte Creek by  80 percent at an initial cost of $483,100 and
an annual maintenance  cost of $29,300.

     The last alternative for reducing heavy metal  loads to Soda Butte Creek
is infiltration control.  An  impervious dam would be installed across the
lower (downstream) end  of the tailings pile including the existing Soda Butte
Creek channel.  The existing  Soda Butte channel  next to the tailings pile
should be filled, and a new sealed channel for the creek constructed immedi-
ately to the  north of the existing channel.   Thus,  Soda Butte Creek would
be channeled  around the tailings pile and above  the  dam.  Once the channel
reaches the dam, a concrete drop structure would drop Soda Butte Creek
back to its existing channel.  A drainage ditch  on the hillside above the
tailings pile should be constructed to keep runoff from entering the
tailings.  This alternative should reduce iron  loads to Soda Butte Creek
by 95 percent at a cost of $156,610.

     Recommendations for this site include the  alternative for infiltration
control.  Also recommended is a water quality and streamflow monitoring
program in Soda Butte Creek above and below the  mill tailings pile

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                                   SECTION 3

                                LEGAL FRAMEWORK


                                   Authority

      Montana statutory authority to conduct a feasibility study is  found  in
 Section 89-132,  Revised Codes of Montana  (R.C.M.)  1947.   Subsections  of that
 Section, among other things,  broadly empower the Montana  Department of Natural
 Resources and Conservation (DNRC):

      (d)  To accept from any  federal  agency grants  for and in  aid
           of the carrying  out of the purposes of this Act and  any
           Acts of "Congress".  ...

      (t)  To make investigations and  surveys of  natural resources
           and of opportunities for  their  conservation and development
           and pay the  costs of the  same either from its own funds
           or cooperatively with  the  federal  government. .  . .

      The power of DNRC  to  enter  into  contracts for studies or  investigations
with  the federal  government is clear  and  has  been utilized on  numerous
occasions  for studies  on different  problem  areas.


                     Site  and Mineral Right Acquisition

      The Montana  DNRC has  statutory authority to acquire the necessary sites
for project  construction.  Section 89-104, R.C.M. 1947, provides the power
to acquire by  purchase, exchange, or condemnation "any land, rights, water
rights, easements, franchises, and other property considered necessary for
the construction, operation and maintenance of works."  Section 89-102,
R.C.M. 1947, defines "works" very broadly and includes therein "all  means  of
conserving and distributing water," including those for purposes of
"irrigation, flood prevention, drainage, fish and wildlife, recreation. .  .  ."
Therefore, there is no question that DNRC has ample authority  to acquire
such sites as might become necessary for project construction.

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                                  SECTION 4

                           ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY


                            Cultural  Environment

Mining History

     The New World or Cooke City mining district,  on the north boundary of
Yellowstone National  Park, has seen periodic mining activity from the late
1870's until the Nott mill at the Glengary mine was destroyed in 1967.   Ac-
tive mineral exploration and evaluation programs are being conducted in the
Daisy Pass and Lulu Pass areas north of Cooke City, sites of previous surface
and underground mining activities.

Current Social and Economic Conditions

     The Cooke City acid mine project is located in Park County, Montana
approximately 100 km southeast of Livingston, Montana (Figure 1, page 9).
Portions of the project area lie within the Gallatin and Custer National
Forests.  Three mine areas were studied.  The McLaren mine site lies within
the Custer National Forest, while the Glengary mine and the McLaren mill
site are in the Gallatin National Forest.  Recreational areas within the
national forest near the project area include three established camping
grounds.

     Yellowstone National Park is located approximately 6.4 km from Cooke
City.  U.S. Highway No. 212 passes through Cooke City to the northeast
entrance to the Park.  This highway brings many tourists that travel
Interstate  90 to Yellowstone Park.

     Recreation within the project area is limited to snowmobiling and cross-
country skiing in the winter months.  During the summer, recreation includes
sightseeing, fishing, camping, and hiking.

     The general economy of the area is based on tourism.  During the summer
months nearly all of the motels and hotels in Cooke City and Silver Gate are
filled with tourists or retired people who spend the summer months in the
area enjoying the cool climate and recreational opportunities that the area
offers.  In the winter months, most public facilities are closed with a few
motels and  cafes remaining open for those who use  the area for winter sports.

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V£>
                                 FIGURE  I.  Location of the study area.

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     Treatment of the  AMD will  probably not  result  in an  increase  in
industrial  activity or an increase  in  population  due to better water  quality.
Yellowstone National Park and  the National Forests  are immediately downstream
from the project areas,  and their rules and  regulations will  prevent  any
increase in permanent  population as well  as  any industry.   However, removal
of AMD will improve streams such that  more kilometers are able to  sustain
fisheries.   This in turn may result in an overall  increase in use  and may
help to reduce the use of other overfished streams.

                            Physical Environment

Introduction

     The New World mining  district, which encompasses the three  study sites
of the Cooke City Acid Mine Drainage Control-Feasibility  Study,  lies  on  the
southwest edge of the  rugged Beartooth Mountains; the equally rugged  Absaroka
Range of Wyoming lies  on the south, Yellowstone  National Park  is  southwest
of the district, and the Absaroka  Range  of Montana lies  to the  north  and
northwest of the district.

     Valley floors range in altitude from 2,286 to 2,743  m, and  numerous
mountain peaks and ridges  rise above 3,350 m.   Glaciation has carved  many
characteristic U-shaped valleys and has  left hanging valleys and cirque
basins in many areas.   Three drainage  basins of the Yellowstone  River system
have their headwaters in the New World mining district,  and each also in-
cludes one of the three study sites.

     The McLaren mill  tailings pond is on the east edge of Cooke City on
Soda Butte Creek  (Figure 2, page 11),  which flows into the northeast corner
of Yellowstone  National Park and joins the Lamar River.   The tailings pond
is at  about 2,317 m altitude.

     The McLaren mine site, at an  altitude of approximately 2,940 m an the
southwest  slope of Fisher  (Red) Mountain, is in a part of the drainage that
forms  the  headwaters of the Stillwater River.  Daisy Creek, which begins near
the  mine area,  flows westward  for  about  5 km before joining the Stillwater
River, which  then runs  north  through  the proposed Absaroka-Beartooth Wilder-
ness and joins  the Yellowstone River  near Big Timber, Montana.

     The Glengary mine  area is at  the headwaters of Fisher  Creek, which
 flows  southeast about 8 km and joins  with Lady of  the Lake  Creek  to  form the
Clarks Fork Yellowstone River.  The Clarks  Fork  flows southeast into  the
Sunlight Basin in Wyoming  before swinging northward and  eventually joining
 the  Yellowstone River near Billings,  Montana,  The main  Glengary  adit is
 at 2,834 m,  and the upper  part of  the study area is at about 2,987 m on
 Lulu Pass.

      The  climate is typical of mid-latitude, high  altitude areas  in  the
 Rocky Mountains.   Snow can be found at  higher  elevations throughout  the year;
 several small glaciers  and snow fields  are  found northeast of the district.
 Snow depths  of 1,770  mm or more have  been measured at Cooke City, and more
                                      10

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                          RI4E
                                                         RISE
45°
                            Yl Scotch Banretj'V-  \^M^

                                                  ^__         -
                              j? r'teh.^ f Nj,   ^V'-j;;.. , SOOsiC^J . _
                               ; ^l. ~»» :   ~s«<*    "'-
               /  Bull of! h£ Woods ,,.,£r™   \  \
                   '•-^/ Ss£tt&
                 Location of  the study  area showing
                 Cooke City,  the McLaren and Glengary
                 mine  areas,  and  the McLaren mill
                 tailings pond.
                                  n

-------
than 4,570 mm of snow has been measured in the areas above 2,940  m.   Drifts
of as much as 23 m have been reported (Levering,  1929)  in the pass  areas
around Cooke City.

     The months of July through September provide ideal  working weather, and
the project areas are easily accessible by two-  ard four-wheel drive
vehicles over moderately rough roads.  Snowmobiles provide the main means of
transportation to the sites from Cooke City during most of the other months.
The Cooke City-Gardiner highway is kept open throughout the year.

     A mean annual precipitation of 675 mm and a  mean annual temperature of
1°C are reported at Cooke City.  Cooler temperatures and more precipitation
(more than 1,500 mm) are encountered at the higher elevations of the mine
sites.  Precipitation data for the study period are presented in Appendix B.

Mine Areas

     Introduction

     The two mine areas studied, the McLaren mine, a predominately open pit
operation and the Glengary mine (also known as the Como ore body), predomi-
nately an underground operation, are discussed in parallel fashion to better
compare and contrast the factors affecting reclamation.

     Physical Resources and Conditions

     Location.  The mines are  located in sec. 2,  10, and 11, T  9 S  , R. 14
E., Park County,  Montana.  Both are within U.S. National Forests.  The Mc-
Laren mine area,  which  drains  into an unnamed tributary  (informally called
Daisy Creek in  this report) of the Stillwater River, is at an altitude of
2,940 m and is  in the Custer National Forest.  The Glengary mine area,  which
drains into Fisher Creek, a tributary of the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River,
is  at an altitude of 2,970 m and  is  in  the Gallatin National Forest   The
locations of  the  mines  are shown  in  Figure 2, page  11.

     Metals Recovered,  Ground  Disturbed, and Exploration Holes Drilled   Both
mines were primarily gold mines but yielded some  copper  and silver—The
McLaren mine  area encompasses  approximately 8.1 hectares  (ha), and an
estimated 96,000  mj of  material was  disturbed or  removed by mining   Under-
ground workings were almost destroyed by the surface mining operations; one
collapsed adit  is still  recognizable  (sample site 108) just above the point
where the road  forks (Figure  3, page  13) and a minor amount of water is dis-
charged  from  this adit.

     The major  disturbed areas at the Glengary mine  area (Figure 4,  page 14)
on  Lulu  Pass  cover  about 3  ha; several  smaller mine  dumps  are  adjacent  to
the main  disturbed  area.  Total volume  of  disturbed material  is  approximately
14,000 m3, most resulting  from very  shallow trenching  and  mine-road  con-
struction.   A significant  portion of the disturbed volume  came from  the adits
and drifts.   At only two or three places  do ore  and  waste  materials  have much
depth.   The  site  is  drained principally by surface flows from the  impound-
ment adjacent to the disturbed area  and by a  trench from the  disturbed  area.

                                      12

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                                                                                                                    Meters
                                                                                                                      50
                                                                                                                            100
                                                                                                                   Observation well

                                                                                                                   Sample site

                                                                                                                   Auger hale

                                                                                                                   Diamond drill  hole

                                                                                                                   Mine adit

                                                                                                                   Major disturbed
                                                                                                                   area

                                                                                                                  id on Montana Highway
                                                                                                                  nt atrtal photograph .
                                                                                                                          J.J. Wallac*
FIGURE  3
Sketch  of  the  McLaren  mine  area.

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                                                                                                                          Meters
                                                                        0      50     IOO

                                                                      ©   Observation well

                                                                      A   Sample  site

                                                                      A   Auger hole

                                                                       . '  Diamond drill hole

                                                                      X   Mine adit

                                                                        Disturbed  area
                                                                        (malar)      (minor)
                                                                   Map bated on  Montana Highway
                                                                   Department aerial photograph.
                                                                                  J J Wallace
                                              Approximate location  of  mine
FIGURE
Sketch  of  the  Glengary mine  area

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      The Scotch Bonnet adits have collapsed, and the amount of open workings
 behind the portals is unknown.   The Glengary adit was mapped throughout its
 horizontal extent.  The drift is predominantly 1.8 m wide and 2.1  m high,
 requiring the removal of approximately 3,000 m3 of waste material.   Part of
 this volume is replaced by unconsolidated iron hydroxide precipitates whose
 density is estimated at 1.5 grams/cubic centimeters; roughly 400 m3 of this
 material  is present, predominantly in the Tower 300 m of the drift.  A map
 showing the drift and the major zones of water leakage is presented in
 Figure 5, page 16.  The water-inflow estimates are valid only for  the late
 fall  conditions.   A greater percentage of the water may come through the
 manways (raises)  during the spring runoff period.

      The  mining areas have been drilled by at least two exploration companies
 (Bear Creek Exploration and Mine Finders Incorporated).   The locations and
 depths of the holes were not released by the companies,  but the locations of
 all  drill holes noted during this study are marked on the site maps.   Active
 mining is not foreseen in the near future for either of these areas.   The
 Como  ore  body does contain reasonable metal  values and might be mined at
 some  future date.   The biggest  drawback to mining  in this area is  haulage
 cost.   A  new mill  would have to be built, and concentrate would have to  be
 hauled to Red Lodge,  as the Gardiner spur of the Burlington Northern Railroad
 has  been  shut down.

      Geology

      Introduction.   The geology of southwest  part  of the Cooke City
quadrangle was  mapped by James  Elliott (1973)  during the four summers from
 1969  through 1972.   A preliminary field check of Elliott's  map was  in
 agreement with  all  major features.   Due to  limited  field time,  emphasis  was
 placed upon  the overall  relationships  between Tertiary felsite intrusive
 breccia and  the occurrence of sulfide  mineralization  while  stratigraphic
 contacts  of  specific  Cambrian formations,  and petrologic variations  of the
Tertiary  igneous units  were not  emphasized.

     The  geologic  map presented  (Figure  6, page 17)  is based upon Elliott's
map with  minor  changes.   More important  to this investigation  is the fact
that the  sulfide mineralization  is concentrated along  the contact of
 intrusive  breccia  with  carbonate  country  rock.  The  sulfide concentrations
are the result  of  hydrothermal  interaction and are greatest in  the country
rock adjacent to the  intrusive breccia,  decreasing in  both directions away
from the  contact.

     McLaren Mine.  The McLaren  property  is on the southwestern side of
Fisher Mountain where the  Park Shale and Meagher Limestone are believed to
be in  contact with the felsitic breccia.  Small sills of the breccia may be
found  in  roadcuts and in the mining face, where breccia  has intruded along
and across bedding planes  in  the Park Shale.  Field evidence for contact
between the felsite breccia and predominantly carbonate  (basal Park Shale
or upper Meagher Limestone) units is sparse;  but:   (1) northwest of the mine
area a ditch exposes weathered felsite and a  reddish-brown residual  soil
believed to have developed on limestone, and  (2) in the trail switchback,
just above the northwestern end of the mine area,  the breccia sills intrude

                                     15

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                   .RAISES
EXPLODED
VIEW OF
CROSSCUT
                                   RAISES
CROSSCUT'
                                         , BOARD-COVERED
                                           BROKEN GROUND
     10%  FOR  OTHER
     DIFFUSE LEAKAGE
   317m  MAJOR  ROOF  LEAK
        (CORE HOLE ?) 22%
                                   PLAN VIEW
                              SCALE
                                     METERS 100
     FIGURE 5
Relative percentage of water
in the lower Glengary tunnel
                              16

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FIGURE 6      Geologic map of sec. II  and part of sec.  2,
              T. 9 S.,  R. 14 E.f near Cooke City, Montana,
              after Elliott (1973).
                                 17

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Ti
Tdi
Tdp
               KEY TO FIGURE  6

               (Elliott,  1973)

MINE WASTE—Mine  dumps and mill tailings

ALLUVIUM (HOLOCENE)--Unconsolidated  deposits of  silt, sand,
  gravel, and boulders along  stream  valleys

UNDIFFERENTIATED  SURFICIAL DEPOSITS  (HOLOCENE)--Principally
  talus, colluvium, and glacial deposits  of neoglacial origin

MORAINAL DEPOSITS (PLEISTOCENE)--Till  and fluvioglacial  de-
  posits undifferentiated

DIKES (EOCENE)

  Andesite, trachyandesite,  and basalt—Usually  porphyritic
    with aphanitic groundmass

  Dacite—Porphyritic with fine-grained to aphanitic ground-
    mass

 INTRUSIVE BRECCIAS (EOCENE)

  Felsite intrusive breccia—Mostly monolithologic, altered,
    pyritized, aphanitic complex on Fisher Mountain, locally
    weakly porphyritic with altered plagioclase  phenocrysts

   Intrusive  breccias  on  Henderson Mountatn^Heterolithologic
    with igneous  fragments ranging  from  dacite to andesite
     in  composition and fragments of Precambrian gneiss and
     Cambrian sediments,  locally much altered and mineralized

 STOCKS  AND SILLS  (EOCENE)

   Diorite—Stocks and irregular bodies,  mostly equigranular,
     fine grained, and dark colored, plagioclase and pyroxene
     are dominant.  Sills laccolith, and  irregular-shaped
     masses                                           r

   Dacite porphyry--Fine  grained to  aphanitic groundmass,  light
     colored, variable alteration, plagioclase,  hornblende and/
     or biottte phenocrysts  common
                                 18

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              Dacite porphyry with quartz "eyes"—Similar to dacite por-
                phyry  (Tdp) but with abundant rounded quartz phenocrysts

              Andesite porphyry—Principally in sills, light to medium
                green, much altered, plagioclase, clinopyroxene and/or
                hornblende phenocrysts common

           SEDIMENTARY ROCKS (CAMBRIAN)

              Snow Range Formation (upper Cambrian)—Shale, limestone—
I—TTT—I         pebble conglomerate, limestone and dolomite, thin bedded,
i       I         includes Grove Creek Member at top approximately 70 m in
                thickness

	       Pilgrim Limestone (upper Cambrian)—Limestone and limestone-
|  -Cpj           pebble conglomerate, thick bedded, approximately 76 m in
                thickness
             Park Shale (middle Cambrian)--Shale and limestone,  thin  bed-
               ded, approximately 76 m in thickness

             Meagher Limestone (middle Cambrian)—Limestone,  thin  bedded,
               approximately 30 m in thickness

             Wolsey Shale (middle Cambrian)—Shale  and sandstone,  thin
               bedded, approximately 55 m in thickness

             Flathead Sandstone (middle Cambrian)—Sandstone, medium  bed-
               ded, approximately 30 m in thickness

           PRECAMBRIAN METASEDIMENTS

             Granitic rocks (PRECAMBRIAN W)—Mainly granitic  gneiss,  minor
  p-Cg  |        schist, amphibolite,  and quartzite, weakly  to  strongly
 	        foliated
             Contact—Dashed where approximately  located; short dashed
               where inferred
             Fault—Dashed where approximately  located; short dashed where
               inferred;  dotted where  concealed.  Ball and bar on down-
               thrown side

                   20

             Strike and dip of inclined  beds


                                   19

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limestone, which may  or may not be in place.  The main wall of the mine  con-
tains altered limestone beds affected by both dikes and  sills of f el site and
"andesite" (possibly  dacite), which are offset by thin sulfide-filled fault
zones showing minor displacement (less than 0.3 m in most places).  Most of
the intrusive rocks within the mined area are altered by the hydrothermal
solutions.

    Two types of hydrothermal alteration were recognized at the mine.   The
product of propylitic alteration, as used in this report, consists predomi-
nantly of chlorite, but minor epidote or calcite is locally present;  it  is
always associated with magnetite and pyrite in varying amounts.  Argil lie
alteration produces a mixture of kaolinite and montmorillonite and minor
amounts of chlorite or quartz.  At the McLaren, the arquillic alteration may
?e ea|l]y traced because the bleaching effect (argillic  zones are dirty  beige
to off-white) contrasts vividly with the reddish-brown hematitic staining of
the propylitic alteration zone.  The offsets and bulbous shapes of these two
alteration zones indicate areas of post-mineralization faulting and of local
variation of mineralogy or porosity within the host rock.

.    $ul fide minerals seen on the surface at the McLaren mine are concentrated
il^tSTl  lu alteratlon ?one.  Pyritic replacement bodies seem to be
hut H cc! •  .^ ca?2nat? layers Wlthin tne Park Shale, whereas pervasive
but disseminated sulfide minerals characterize the propylitized shale   In
contrast, the exposed argillic alteration zone contains  very sparse sulfide
minerals.
lust SlT^in1^;  The,Glen9?ry area  is at the north end of Fl'sher Mountain,
just below Lulu Pass, and on the eastern end of Scotch Bonnet Mountain.   Much
       msjn^s; fi» %?%?& SRI  Ph£ ^]-
                       ^
                                    I">Vti1n1n» Is far Lss Inten e Ehan
                                                               noted as

a




suggests that  the porphyry was  intruded after  the diorite floSt adiacent
to the propylitic zone shows  only minor evidence fchloHtP ™H on?H«J!??U
of hydrothermal alteration.   No evidence of altLit?^ ,    f  5pl-do!S (?))
porphyry outcrop.  The dumped wS^T'belL'thSldt! 1 JMS" pyHt c'and
appears similar to the mineralized rock at the McLaren mine   Py
                                   20

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Photo 1.  Upper Glengary mine area showing disturbed area.

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IX)
ro
                       Photo  2.   Upper Glengary mine area showing collapsed mine  adit.

-------
      The Tertiary dacite, mapped by  Elliott  (1973) as being in fault contact
with  the felsite breccia, was not noted during the geologic investigation.
The drift from  the  lower Glengary tunnel passes through about 460 tn of
felsite before  the  boundary with diorite is  reached.  The diorite (field
identification  by mine lamp) may be  Elliott's dacite or the Scotch Bonnet
diorite, but the presence of mafic phenocrysts (amphiboles (?)) and fairly
coarse texture  led  to the diorite identification.  The contact between the
felsite and the diorite was not observed, probably because it is obscured
by the goethitic coating on the mine walls.  Within the diorite, a shear
zone  filled with chlorite and hydrothermal biotite was encountered just
before the eight-post raise (Figure  5, page  16).  Minor sulfide minerals
are present in  both mineral phases of the shear zone.

      The disturbed  area below Lulu Pass (Photo 1, page 21} contains several
erosional cuts  through zones of argil lie alteration.  The clays have a blue-
grey  hue caused by  finely disseminated sulfide minerals.  This is a definite
contrast to the near absence of sulfide minerals in the zone of argil!ic
alteration at the McLaren mine.

      Hydrology

      Introduction.  Weather conditions at the higher elevations of the
McLaren and Glengary mine areas precluded installation of observation wells
and gauging stations and general reconnaissance of the areas until late July
and August 1974.  One field trip in September 1974 was cut short by an early
fall  snow storm, and field work was suspended, although visits to the stream
and observation-well sites for sample collection and streamflow measurements
continued.   The heavy spring snows and near-record snowpack in 1975 resulted
in atypical runoff conditions.

     The principal source of water flowing through or over the disturbed areas
of the McLaren  and Glengary mines is snowmelt.  Rainfall  contributes a small
amount during the sunnier months, but no continuous records are available for
the areas at this time.  Precipitation, including snowfall, at the higher
elevations of the mine areas is greater than that measured at  Cooke City.

     McLaren Mine.  The McLaren mine area (Figure 3,  page 13)  includes
approximately 8.1 ha, and about 96,000 m3 of disturbed material  (Photo  3S
page 24)  cover  the area.   Dumps and waste piles  form a hummocky topography
in the area.   The site is drained by surface flows and seepage through  the
disturbed areas.

     Recharge by snowmelt infiltration above the McLaren mine  area is
probably not enough to support a year-round groundwater flow at the  mine area.
At site 101  (Figure 3, page 13), at the base of  the back wall  at the dis-
turbed area,  is a flow that is  believed to come  from  a fracture or joint
system in the bedrock.  (The bedrock is covered  by talus  material.)   This
flow and  the flow at site 105  were the first to  go dry (Table  1,  page  25),
indicating  that the groundwater supply above the  mine area had been  depleted.
The surface sites went dry approximately two months after the  last snowbanks
above the sites had melted.   Sites  102, 103, 104,  and 107 were dry by
                                     23

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Photo 3.   McLaren mine area showing disturbed area.

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TABLE i.   MCLAREN MINE AREA STREAMFLOW  DATA  dps)

Date
07/25/74
08/13/74
09/16/74
10/15/74
11/19/74
01/23/75
02/18/75
05/15/75
05/28/75
06/07/75
06/12/75
06/18/75
07/01/75
07/18/75
07/31/75
08/05/75
08/12/75
08/20/75
08/27/75
09/05/75
09/09/75
09/23/75
101
.7
.3
^X * L
db
d
d
d
d
__
s
--
s
__
--
.3
.6
.5
.3
.1
u
u
u
102
6.2
1.7
—
.4
d
d
d
d
—
s
--
s
--
2.8
2.8
1.4
1.4
.9
.6
.4
.3
.3
Site no,
103
_.a
—
--
4.5
d
d
--
d
--
s
--
s
--
5.7
4.0
2.3
1.7
.9
.9
1.1
.6
— —
. (see Figure 3}
104 105
29.2
3.7
.9
1.2
d
sd
s
s
—
s
—
s
—
12.2
6.5
5.1
2.3
1.7
.9
1.1
1.4
.3
2.8
.6
.1
d
d
d
d
d
--
s
--
s
__
--
2.3
.6
.2
u
u
u
u
u
107
6.2
2.0
.3
.3
uc
u
s
s
--
s
—
s
—
--
3.1
.9
1.7
.6
1.1
.6
.3
u
108
.6
.1
.3
.5
.1
s
s
s
—
s
--
s
--
2.3
1.4
.6
.5
.3 '
.9
.4
.3
.3
109
92.6
29.7
6.5
4.5
2.2
2.2
2.2
6.0
6.0
56.9
31.7
47.6
173.0
166.0
51.6
33.4
18.1
18.1
11.9
9.1
9.1
5.1
a Dash indicates no record
b d indicates dry
c u indicates immeasurable small
d s indicates snow covered
                  flow
                     25

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November 1974,  indicating  further depletion of the groundwater supply and a
lowering of the water table  in  these  areas.

     The hydrology of the  disturbed area  seems to be complex.  As reported
by Higgins (1974), some of the  surface  areas  seem to be  slightly sealed  by
clay formed by physical disintegration  and chemical weathering of the
material.  This is especially true  in some depressions,  which tend  to fill
with water from the melting  snow.   Infiltration  into the spoils from these
ponds seems to be relatively slow.  The largest  depression  between  sites
101 and 102 had a surface  outflow,  although another depression about 100 m
north of site 102 did not  have  a surface  outflow.  The latter depression
went dry about the same time that the snow melted from it,  suggesting that
infiltration rates nearly  matched the snowmelt rates.

     Five of the six observation wells  in the disturbed  area were relatively
dry when installed and have  remained  dry.  Auger holes drilled for  spoils
samples (Figure 3, page 13)  in  September  1975 did not encounter water.   This
suggests that there is a seasonal flow  of water  through  the wastes  at those
sites.  If a water table is  established in the wastes, it is probably a
shallow, fast-moving groundwater system that  coincides with the duration of
the snowmelt and drains completely  out  of the upper 5 m  of the spoils
material soon after the snow is all melted.

     Well 110, about 55 m south of  site 101,  was dug to  apparent  bedrock,
and water was encountered in that hole.  Between August  and November, a
^irill ,,!i inV'n ?e ?a ter level was noted (Table 2'  Page 27>' suggesting
that the well water-level  was in equilibrium  with a water table,  possibly
a  perched water table of small  extent.  The water at site 110 could also
ThP f,1n£    V f!;actu!:e system 1n the bedrock  beneath  the waste material.
hn?P  JnXrJ-   *?T?l0pe  fr°m Site 110 dried  up  before the observation
rock'in^H n?9f nt  -he ^te[ \S  returni"9  to  deep fractures  in the bed-
rock  instead of following the bedrock surface to the seep sites.

*  nn J  ^ll1^11 * minei"als-exploration  diamond drill rig in the area
reported that the first several hundred meters  of rock were intensely
                    eek                  '     ""0" or as seeps
 from thl'ml^HI^^0!; °f the th1ck"e" <* unconsoll dated material
        The  bia l,™rJ«n   ^.fractures in the igneous and sedimentary
         me  big summer snowmelt is almost entirely runoff  aithmmh cnrfa
                   l
                                     26

-------
             TABLE 2.  MCLAREN MINE OBSERVATION WELL,  NO.  noa
Date
08/13/74
09/16/74
10/15/74
11/19/74
01/23/75
02/18/75
05/15/75
05/28/75
06/07/75
06/12/75
06/18/75
07/01/75
07/18/75
07/31/75
08/05/75
08/12/75
08/20/75
08/27/75
09/05/75
09/09/75
09/23/75
Depth to water
(m)
2.94
3.38
3.50
3.61
sb
s
s
s
s
s
	 c
—
3.12
3.20
3.28
3.36
3.40
3.49
3.56
3.59
3.60
? Wells 111  through 115 remained dry
  s indicates snow covered
c Dash indicates no record
                                     27

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ro
                                          Colluvium and residuum
                                          very thin or  absent
                                                                                                  Felsite
                                                                                                  breccia
                              aisy Creek
                                         Colluvium
                                  Boggy in
                                  fall;/seeps
Cambrian

sedimentary

rocks
                                           Intrusive dacite
                        FIGURE 7    Schematic cross  section showing the  thickness of
                                      unconsolidated deposits  at the  McLaren mine area.

-------
 the  dacite  porphyry,  and  (3) within the lower part of the colluvium.  Toward
 the  end  of  summer,  visible  seepage in the spoils area and the upper part of
 the  exposed dacite  disappears.  The seepage continues in the lower part of
 the  exposed dacite  for  longer than would be expected, based upon comparisons
 with "similar"  topographic  settings nearby.  This is believed to result from
 the  accumulation of ferric  hydroxide crust upon the bedrock, which probably
 retards  the discharge of  groundwater stored within the fractured dacite.  By
 fall, groundwater storage has declined, and the water table within the dacite
 no longer intersects  the  land surface; groundwater discharge is essentially
 restricted  to the colluvial areas near the stream channel.  The boggy areas
 result from decreased permeability in the vicinity of the stream channel;
 the  permeability decrease is attributed both to the finer size of colluvial
 material as the distance  from its source increases and the drainage gradient
 decreases,  and  to the buildup of hydroxide precipitates within and adjacent
 to the streambed.

     The hydrograph for Daisy Creek at the weir (site 109) is presented in
 Figure 8, page  30,  for the  period of record.  The drainage area is approxi-
 mately 0.9  km2  and  recorded flows range from 2.2 to 173 liters per
 second (Ips).  The  estimated peak flow at this station was  270 Ips on
 July 10, 1975.  The stream  characteristics seem to be fairly typical  of
 small subalpine watersheds  in mountainous areas.

     Snow cores were  collected with the aid of the Soil  Conservation Service's
 Snow Survey Supervisor, Phillip E. Fames, on May 14, 1975.   Two samples
 were taken  on the McLaren site, by the cabin at the fork in  the road (Lake
 Abundance turnoff), and one up on the open pit bench, roughly 5 m from the
 face.  The cores contained  1,158 and 1,181 mm of water equivalent (after 10
 percent reduction  for the  shape of the cutting device), and the snowpack
 depths were 2,730 and 2,770 mm respectively.   The average annual  streamflow
 at site 109 was estimated to be slightly more than 0.50 cubic hectometers
 per  year, and annual  precipitation should be on the order of 1,800 to
 2,000 mm per year,  of which roughly two-thirds is snow.   Precipitation
 at the mine site should be approximately three times greater than that
 recorded at Cooke City.

     Glengary Mine.  The major disturbed areas at the Glengary mine {Figure
 4 and Photo 1, pages  14 and 21) on Lulu Pass cover about 3.0 ha;  several
 smaller mine dumps are adjacent to the main disturbed area.   Total  volume
 of disturbed material  is approximately 14,000 nP.   Most  of the disturbed
 surface has resulted from very shallow trenching and mine-road construction.
 At only two or three places do ore and waste materials have  much  depth.   The
 upper mining area is drained principally by surface flows  from the  impound-
ment adjacent to the disturbed area and by a trench from the disturbed area.
A water level  (Table 3,  page 31)  was  established in well 210 (Figure  4,
 page 14), indicating that a water table exists in  that area  at shallow depth,
 at least during the part of the year  when  the well  could be  found.  Seeps
 occur downslope from the well  and flow into the  main drainage  from  the area
 (sites 204 and 206).  Disturbed ground near the  lower adit includes deposits
of iron oxide precipitates at  the mouth of the adit (site  205), a main
dump having a  volume of about  7,300 m3,  and the  remains  of settling ponds
below the old mill  site.

                                      29

-------
1000
 100
o
                             JFMAMJ   d   A  S
J   A  S   0   N   D
               1974
      FIGURE e   Hydrograph  for Daisy Creek at
                 site 109,  McLaren  mine area.
                             30

-------
                  TABLE 3.   GLENGARY MINE  OBSERVATION  WELLS
Date
09/16/74
10/14/74
05/14/75°
05/28/75
06/07/75
06/12/75
06/18/75
06/22/75
07/01/75
07/19/75
08/01/75
08/05/75
08/12/75
08/20/75
08/27/75
09/06/75
09/09/75
09/23/75
210
1.36
1.76
d
--
__
--
--
1.41
1.32
1.36
1.42
1.45
1.43
1.42
1.41
1.41
1.41
1.51
Depth to water (m) for well no.
211
dh
__b
d
--
--
--
--
0.88
0.55
0.46
0.72
1.03
1.54
2.04
2.33
d
d
d
212
d
--
d
—
--
--
--
--
—
1.25
1.48
1.51
1.52
1.55
1.61
1.64
1.64
d
J* d indicates dry well
  Dash indicates no record
c November 1974 through April 1975; all three wells remained dry
                                     31

-------
     The head of Fisher Creek,  at the  upper workings,  is  bowl-shaped and  may
be of glacial origin.   A small  pond in the base  of the bowl  collects melt-
water in the spring and summer.   It is believed  that this ground is  never
frozen in the winter and that it is a  major entry point for  meltwater into
the groundwater system.  Snowmelt and  precipitation contribute enough water
to the bedrock groundwater system to cause a fairly constant outflow from the
lower Glengary adit (site 205)  as shown in Table 4, page  31.

     The lower Glengary drift was mapped.   The results of this survey are
shown in Figure 5, page 16,  The drift is  very well preserved considering
that it was driven in the early 1930's.  Large deposits of iron precipitates
are present on the floor, especially closer to the adit.   Major sources of
water infow are the raises (over half of flow),  which probably interconnected
with the surface, and a major roof leak at 312 m.  The underground workings
act as collectors and conduits to discharge the  groundwater at the adit
(Figure 5, page 16).  The formations in the raises are reported to be ex-
tensively fractured, with seepage occurring along most of the raises.

     The zones of water inflow, discussed in the geology section, are be-
lieved to be one of the major pathways for groundwater discharge from the
area below Lulu Pass.  A second pathway, groundwater flow through the uncon-
solidated Quaternary materials, must also be considered.   The greatest
amount of water probably moves through the gravel underlying the stream
channel  (often referred to as underflow).   It is difficult to measure under-
flow, and such studies were judged to  be beyond the scope and budget of this
program.  It is believed that the annual groundwater flow through the un-
consolidated materials from the upper workings to the lower adit consitutes
less than 20 percent of the annual surface water flow.

     The  hydrograph for Fisher Creek at the weir site (site 207) is presented
,in Figure 9, page  34.  for  the period of record.  The drainage area  is
approximately  1.3  km*, and recorded flows range  from 3.1 to 283 IDS.  The
estimated peak flow at this station was approximately 420 Ips on July 5,
 19/5.   The  stream  characteristics  seem to be  fairly typical of small sub-
alpine  watersheds  in mountainous areas.

      Snow cores were collected as  described previously.  Water equivalents
ranged  from 899 mm at  the  head of  the  bowl  (cirque) to 1,670 mm near the
creek at the altitude  of site 205.  The two samples in the  upper disturbed
area averaged  955  mm of water,  and the sample at the weir contained 1,180 mm
of water.   Actual  snowfall and  total  annual precipitation in  the study area
of Fisher Creek may  be somewhat  greater than  at  the McLaren site, owing  to
its slightly higher altitude and leeward  position  with respect  to the pre-
vailing winds.   Precipitation  data collected  by  the Soil Conservation Service
at their Fisher  Creek  gauging  station (altitude  roughly  2,700 m) averaged
1,670 nrn annually  for  an eight-year period  of record;  these data are
presented in Table 5,  page 35.
                                      32

-------
TABLE 4.  FISHER CREEK AREA STREAMFLOW DATA (Ips)


Date
07/26/74
09/16/74
10/14/74
11/20/74
12/18/74
01/22/75
02/04/75
02/18/75
03/20/75
04/15/75
05/14/75
05/28/75
06/07/75
06/12/75
06/18/75
06/22/75
07/01/75
07/19/75
08/01/75
08/05/75 <
08/12/75 <
08/20/75
08/27/75
09/06/75
09/09/75
09/23/75

201
a
~i>
dc
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
--
__
__
—
—
__
.6
.9
.1
.1
u
u
u
u
u

202
_ —
u
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
--
'
—
—
1.1
—
20.1
12.5
9.1
6.5
1.1
1.1
.3
.6
u
Site
203
_ ..
.2
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
--
-- .
--
--
—
—
— ""
—
3.1
.6
2.3
.6
.6
u
no.
204
__
.5
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

--
--
--
--
'
20.4
7.1
11.1
4.3
3.1
.9
1.4
d

205
_-
3.5
2.2
2-2
sd
s
2.3
s
s
s
1.2
--
--
--
1.9
1.7e
7,1
14.7
7.9
6.8
3.7
1.4
2.6
2.6
2.6
2.0

206
--
.2
.5
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
--
--
--
--
--
--
7.9
3.2
3.4
1.7
.9
.6
.6
.1

207
96.3
12.2
8.5
4.4
4.5
3.1
3.1
3.1
3.1
3.1
12.2
8.8
24.6
82.7
106.2
71.7
283.2
164.8
66.3
16.4
14.2
16.1
15.9
9.4
11.3
25.2

j* Dash indicates no
b u indicates
J- d indicates
d s indicates
e Estimated
record
immeasurable small
dry
snow


covered


flow























                      33

-------
1000
 It)
 a.
 O
   10
       J   A   S   0  N   D
                       1974
 OFMAMJ   JAS
1975
     FIGURE 9    Hydrograph for Fisher CreeK at
                 site 207, Glengary mine area.

-------
CO
en
             TABLE 5.   PRECIPITATION  DATA  FROM SOIL  CONSERVATION SERVICE STORAGE  PRECIPITATION GAUGE,
                       FISHER CREEK DRAINAGE  BASIN.
Water Year

Month
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
TOTAL
1967

48. 3a
205.2
131.1
418.1
186.2
245.6
108.7
193.0
150.0
61.0
17.8
40.6
1805.6
1968

145.3
157.7
170.7
180.3
150.9
101.9
67.6
96.5
149.6
50.8
139.7
111.3
1522.3
1969

78.7
162.8
192.5
363.7
82.3
61.0
83.8
83.8
165.1
76.2
20.3
53.9
1424.1
1970

73.7
112.5
138.4
354.8
118.9
164.9
165.1
79.5
92.5
59.4
18.8
132.1
1510.6
1971

60.7
275.1
228.9
390.9
174.8
248.9
98.0
45.5
40.4
74.2
78.7
102.4
1818.5
1972

81.8
141.7
252.0
408.2
254.3
190.3
247.9
90.0
85.3
59. 2C
70. 6C
152. 2C
2033.5
1973

72.1
92.5
184.4
102.6
84.3
98.6
194.1
120.7
100.6
36. 8C
36. lc
103. lc
1225.9
1974

63.8
275.1
162.1
292.6
141.7
450.6
188.7
158.2
121.7
68.1
65. 5C
28. 5C
2016.6
1975

— b
-• «
_ __
283.7
195.6

^_
— — m
— _
M «•
M Ml
--
	
             * Data is in m.   The gauge is at 2,698 m elevation
             D Dash indicates no data recorded
             c Estimates monthly totals from Mystic Lake and Cooke City data

-------
     Water Chemistry

     Data Base.   A compilation of partial  chemical  analyses  for water samples
from the mine areas is shown in Appendix E.   Those  components with few
samples are not listed.   During 1973,  some of the samples  collected were  run
for only the expected heavy metals.  Complete standard  analyses for Ca, Mg,
NaifiKl*F5'rMnt ?]4 S1°2> HC°3' S°4'  C1»  F> and N°3  were run  on samples
collected from 1974 on,  except for samples collected  the  first and second
weeks in June 1975, when only total  recoverable iron  samples were collected.
All ot these data are available from the Montana DNRC.

     Snow samples were collected in  mid-May  to be used  to  estimate precipi-
tation loads of heavy metals and major elements and snowpack water available
for runoff.  The chemical  analyses,  listed in Appendix  F,  indicate a
significant fallout source of chloride and sulfate.
nf lJ!rC!!!!rJ™\!!each1iq the Stream-   In  Ord^  to  calculate the percentage
?hal ^»i?5   "9   ? surfaceuwaters  three assumptions were necessary:   (1)
that sulfide minerals were the sole  source  of sulfur other than the  11.3 mg/1

sulEIS ±p6 f0" S;|1^%ini.thMnOW;  (2)  that pyrite was the predominant9
watlr   !E!n«ak and,(H that !UlKUr as sulfate)  remained dissolved in the
water.  Using Jtoe data for September 16, 1974, a  value of 49.5 percent was
obtained for the amount of dissolved iron,  released  by weathering/which
fn Ann^d^f nhen,nheiS,«rfa^ ^^  ™* calculation? involved are  presented
in Appendix D, page 138.   Figure 10,  page 37,  is  a plot  for determining the

ThPrCdatt9nnLT rhleaS6d £ th/ S9mpl1ng point b* the weathertngTpyHte.
Id?t ?StJ JR^  ?°Wn ?•  Jhe T9Ure  are for samPles  collected at the mine
adit (site 205) along Fisher Creek.   Both dissolved  and  total recoverable
iron are shown   It is noted that for the average sample only ISt  one-half
of the iron released by pyrite dissolution  weathering reaches the mine portal .
IL^p'T 6S7?r Wh1C!l th/ J°ta1 ^ecove^ble iron TransporEeds greater
than or equal to 75 percent of the released iron  (calculated) were all
collected on the rising limb of the  adit discharge.  Th  s suaaests that some
                         1n the tun"el  ** transpo'riedout   "
     The Mixing of Dissimilar Stream  Waters

     Mixing of surface waters occurs  within  or  adjacent  to' the sitP arpa<;
The mixing of mining-affected surface waters with  essentially unaffected
waters from adjacent tributaries  may  have  differing effect  depending upon
the composition of the waters.  The most corunon result of such mix nq Is the
precipitation of ferric hydroxide and other  heavy  metals downstream from
the intersection of the two streams.   This reaction is believed to result
from the catalytic effect of the  hydroxyl  ion concentration (StumS and

                             '                                     '
iQ7y, An.??arnPie from Fisher Creek  based  on  data  collected on September 16
1974, will  suffice to show the  effectiveness  of  mixing  reaction? uobn iron
concentrations.  Flow from the  adit  (site 205} was 3.4  Ips, and the
                                     36

-------
350 -
                                                       FLOW =0.007 tnVs
                                  75mj/I F* (both)
                                  35Smg/l
                                  FLOW=0.002m*/s
                        FLOW=O.OI5mVa
                                                      DISSOLVED IRON

                                                      TOTAL RECOVERABLE IRON
               ll.3mg/l S<>4 favtrog* volu* in (now)
                                       30
                                      Fefrng/l)

   FIGURE  10   Iron  versus sulfate  plot  for  water samples  collected  at the
   lower adit (site  205), Glengory mine area. The heavy lines  indicate  the
   percentage of the iron,  liberated by  pyrite  oxidation, which  reached
   the sampling site.
                                     37

-------
dissolved iron concentration was 45.3  mg/1.   Downstream 365  ra,  at  site 207,
the flow had increased to 12.2 Ips,  and the  dissolved  iron content had
decreased to 4.0 mg/1.  This represents a  minimum decrease of 68 percent  of
the dissolved iron content in the water and  is  equivalent to an annual
precipitation of approximately 3.3 metric  tons  of iron within the  365  m
stream reach.

     Discussion

     The two mine areas will be discussed  together to  emphasize their
differences in water quality.  The major factors  causing these  differences
are believed to be, in order of importance;   (1)  mining methods employed,
(2) topographic settings, (3) type and extent of  mineralization, and (4)
geologic association.
     ^oth Daisy and Fisher Creeks may be characterized as containing acid,
calcium sulfate waters with abnormally high conductivities,  dissolved solids,
aluminum, iron, manganese, and trace metal  concentrations (Appendix E).
They both respond in a similar fashion to the snowmelt "dilution effect"
upon water quality as shown in Figure 11, page 39, for samples collected
at the respective gauging stations.   Both creeks have very little variation
in specific conductance in their low-flow regime (t- IQ  Ips), which suggests
a fairly constant ratio of mine drainage contribution to the base flow of
the  stream during the low-flow period.

     The major difference between the two drainages is the magnitude of their
meta  loads, especially iron and aluminum.   At the weir location on Daisy
Creek (site 109), dissolved iron ranges from 5.4 to 34.6 mg/1, total
recoverable iron ranges from 23.2 to 99.0 mg/1, and dissolved aluminum
ranges from 9.32 to 41.3 mg/U while at the weir on Fisher Creek (site 207),
dissolved iron ranges from 1.4 to 6.4 mg/1, total  recoverable iron ranges
T[    :•«      mg/1' and dissolved aluminum ranges from 1.0 to 3.65 mg/1.
These differences are roughly fivefold for dissolved iron and tenfold for
total recoverable iron and dissolved aluminum.     Dissolved
iron and aluminum concentrations were found to be independent of pH at
the  Fisher Creek weir site, and to have a very slight negative correlation
riHSr?* Sln9 me^. va^es with increasing pH) at the Daisy Creek weir site.
Computer calculations using a program designed to calculate solution com-
position and compare it with mineral solubilities  (Truesdell and Jones,
1973), for samples collected on August 5, 1975, did not determine thf
waters to be saturated with respect to any aluminum-bearing minerals, but
super-saturation with respect to ferric hydroxide, ferric oxyhydroxide, and
nT^ ?XHdn ^ST*1 at +°th wr Vites'  Lepidocrocite and jarosite were
not  included in the computer calculations; manual computations show that
the  waters are supersaturated with respect to both of these phases.

     Although these observations can be explained  in part by equilibrium
chemistry, flow paths and reaction kinetics must also be considered with
these systems.  Sulfate ions form ion complexes with various metal ions
in aqueous solutions.  In dilute waters the effect of these complexes is
negligible, but, as one or both of their concentrations rise, the percentage
of less abundant species found as a complexed species increases markedly

-------
    10,000
_   1,000
CM

 E
 o
 .C
 s
o
c
o
*-
u
3
"O
c
o
u
o
1)
Q.
in

>>
k-
o

s
o
                        DAISY  CREEK
I

I
                        FISHER CREEK
     100
       I

     .0020 .0028




         FIGURE  II
                             .028

                        Flow (m3/s)


              Flow versus specific conductance  for

              waters  collected af sifes IO9  and 207.
,28
                                      39

-------
As an example, at sites 207,  205, 109,  and 103 the percentage of aluminum
tied up in aluminum sulfate complexes is 26.7, 49.6,  52.4,  and 66.6 percent,
respectively.  Thus the weathering of pyrite produces acid, which attacks
the aluminous minerals and provides sulfate, which helps to keep the
aluminum in solution.  The results of the computer calculations are not
surprising, as the difference between the analytically determined dissolved
and total recoverable aluminum was small, usually falling within the
analytical limits of the equipment, and one form was  not consistently higher
or lower than the other.  Also, the aluminum determinations on raw and raw
filtered samples showed the same results, implying that aluminum was stable
(undersaturated) in the waters sampled.  These facts  do not explain the
reason for the order of magnitude difference in the aluminum values noted
between the two mine areas.

     The solution to this problem can be easily understood if the water
samples collected at the collapsed adit on the McLaren property (site 108}
are thought of as representative of an oxygen-deficient system.  These
water samples may be characterized as having a neutral pH, moderate
sulfate content, and low (relative to the other sites) metal concentrations.
They must represent a  situation where neutralization of the acid formed
by pyrite oxidation  [equation  (3), Appendix D] has kept pace with acid
production.   Neutralization has probably been achieved predominantly by
the dissolution of limestone   [equation  (8), Appendix D], as the calcium
content represents 75  to 84 percent of the positive ionic charge (cation
mi Hi equivalents).   Calcite dissolution  is one of the more rapid mineral
reactions, geologically speaking, and it is logical to assume that the rate-
limiting  factor controlling the water composition is the availability of
oxygen.   If  the water  samples  from this  site and the proposed limiting
factor are taken as  one extreme and the  oxygenated waters recharging through
small ponds,  as typified by samples from the  "wet well" (site 110), are
taken as  the  other extreme (see Appendix E),  it can be seen that the latter
must be the  dominant type of reaction occurring at the McLaren mine area.

     The  iron data is  consistent with this  interpretation also.  Rather than
repeat what  is  in  the  literature, the reader  is referred to Langmuir (1971),
Langmuir  and  Whittemore (1971), Whittemore  (1973), and Whittemore and
Langmuir  (1972,  1974,  1975).

     Several  factors interact  to control the  quality of AMD  in this type  of
terrain.  The type of  mining  is  believed to be most crucial.  Open-pit
mining destroys  the  thin  soil  of  subalpine  areas, but more  importantly
it vastly increases  the amount of  unweathered sulfide mineral  surface in
contact  with the  atmosphere  and  shallow groundwater systems.  This
increases the rate of  sulfide  weathering drastically.  The  topography of
the  mine  area is  important to  the  groundwater flow system.   Steep  topography
results  in steep  groundwater  gradients,  thereby bringing dilute,
unsaturated,  and  oxygenated water  into  contact with  the sulfide  minerals,
so that  the  total  flux of metals out of the mineralized area may be
surprisingly large.

     The lower metal  concentrations  in  the  Fisher Creek drainage may  be
attributed to the following  factors:   (1) the area and  depth  of  disturbance

                                      40

-------
 is smaller,  (2) the amount of ore minerals seems to be less, and (3) flow
 through the mineralized area is predominantly open-channel flow rather than
 groundwater flow.  Thus, the velocities are considerably greater, and the
 chemical reactions do not have time to proceed as far before the water has
 passed through the major mineralized zone.

      One additional feature should be noted before finishing the discussion
 of the mine areas.  The total suspended (or total filterable) sediment in
 a subalpine stream usually increases as a function of flow.  Figure 12,
 page  42, a plot of flow versus suspended solids, shows two interesting
 features.  First, Daisy Creek (circles) seems to be almost unaffected by
 stream stage, averaging roughly 62 mg/1 of suspended solids for flows rang-
 ing from 5.4 to 173 Ips.  Second, the Fisher Creek data (triangles) may be
 interpreted by either of the curves as showing a minimum suspended  solids
 content for flows of about 28 Ips, with suspended solids increasing with
 both higher and lower stream discharges.   The sparsity of available data
 and the absence of winter data (flows L3.7 Ips)  limit the significance
 of the figure, but if these trends are valid, the following interpretations
 should be of significance:

      1.   At the McLaren mine area, the consistency of the suspended solids
          content suggests that the surficial  sediment load approximately
          balances the runoff dilution effect upon filterable precipitates.

      2.   At the Glengary mine area,  the high flow characteristics are
          typical  of unaffected watersheds, but the precipitation  of iron
          from the adit discharge  reverses  this trend  at low flows when  the
          adit discharge becomes volumetrically more  important.

      Summary of Metal  Loads  at McLaren  Mine  Site.  An  analysis  of the annual
 flow  and  total  metal  load will help  to  summarize  the  sources  and extent of
 pollution.   In  deriving  the  loads  at  various  sites at  the  two mine  locations,
 we  can more easily identify  the pollutant  sources  and,  if  reclamation work
 is  completed, determine  the  reduction  in pollutant load.

      To determine  the  loads, water year 1975  (October  1, 1974 to September
 30, 1975) was used  to  compare the  pollutant loads at each site.  Streamflow
 and water quality  data were gathered  periodically at sites at each mine
 area.  The  average  streamflow and water quality data for the period between
 each  sample were determined by averaging the data obtained from the samples
 at the beginning and end of each period.   The metal load was calculated by
 multiplying the average flow by the duration of the time period, and
 multiplying the resultant number by the laboratory determination of the
 metal concentrations.  For those sites that did not have numerous stream-
 flow and water quality data available, the time interval for the representa-
 tive flow rate and sample was extended to  include that portion of the year
 when the sample would represent a  similar  flow and water quality regime.
 For example, if one flow rate and  water quality sample were collected
 during spring runoff, it was assumed that this flow and water quality were
 characteristic of the entire spring runoff.  Spring runoff and low flow
 periods were determined from sites 109 and 208 which had numerous water
quality samples and continuous flow measurements.

                                     41

-------
r>o
          100
to
Q

-I
O
CO

o  10
UJ
o
z
UJ
Q_
CO
3
CO
                    H	1	1	1—I  I  I I
                                        10
                                         H	1	1	1—I  I  I I
                                                                                    DAISY CREEK
                                                                             FISHER CREEK
                                                 FLOW  (Ips)
                                                            100
-I	1	1	1—lilt
                   1000
            FIGURE 12
                         Flow  versus  total suspended solids for  Daisy
                         and Fisher Creeks at their  gauging  stations.

-------
      Figure 13, page 44, shows the metal  loads  for the McLaren  mine  area  at
 sites 102, 104, 108, and 109 for the spring runoff (May 15,  1975  to  August 5,
 1975), the remainder of water year 1975 (October  1,  1974 to  May 15,  1975
 and August 5,  1975 to September 30, 1975),  and  the total  load for water
 year 1975.

      Based upon the discharge and water quality data  collected  at site 109
 for the October 1974 to September 1975  period,  the annual contribution of the
 McLaren mine site TS as follows:   acidity,  154,800 kg;  sulfate, 220,600 kg;
 iron, 14,500 kg;  and aluminum, 13,800 kg.   Although  the amount  of data
 available was  less, copper loads  have been  estimated  at 3,300 kg  per year and
 zinc at one-tenth that value.   These figures  are  probably  on the conser-
 vative side since flows during most of  the  snowmelt  periods  and summer
 storm events were not measured.   The impact of  a  summer storm can be seen
 by the samples collected on July  30, 1975 at  site  103  (Table 6, page 45).
 The concentration of most constituents  increased  during the  storm with the
 greatest increase occurring in iron, sulfate, and  suspended  solids.   Thus,
 the 148 percent increase in discharge did not result  in dilution of  the
 pollutants,  but caused a flush off of reaction  products  and  suspended
 matter.

      Approximately 80 percent  of  the pollution  load was discharged during
 the snowmelt period (May to July)  when  the  major contribution to flow was
 surface  runoff.   On July 30,  1975,  a survey was made of the mine site to
 determine  the  major sources  of pollutants.  At  that time there were only
 a  few small  patches of snow remaining near  the  highwall.  As seen in
 Figure 14, page 46,  a small  tributary measured at site 104 was receiving
 the  majority of  its flow from  water  that had infiltrated into the mine
 waste and  was  resurfacing  down  gradient.  Over  half the discharge at site
 103  can  be contributed  to  underflow.  As this water passed through the
 mine waste,  significant  increases  in all parameters resulted.  The water
 that percolated further  to  seeps measured at sites 117, 118, and 119
 picked up  even  higher concentrations of heavy metals.  The springs in the
 vicinity of  site  104  are  somewhat of a puzzle.  They appear to be  separated
 from the mine  area  by a  ridge  and have a higher aluminum concentration.
 Their source is not  clear.  The tributary at site  107 obtains most of its
 flow from  the  seepage  and  pond at site 106.   The groundwater appears  to
 surface at this point.  The water quality at site  107 is better  than  at
 site  104,  probably  reflecting  less impact of the disturbed mine  area  which
 primarily drains toward site 104.

      Summary of Metal Loads at Glengary Mine Site.  Figure 15,  page 47,
 shows the metal loads for the Glengary mine  site at sites 202, 205,  and
207  for the spring runoff, the remainder of  water  year 1975,  and the
total load for water year 1975.  Site 205 reflects the metal  load  from
the mine adit, and site 207 shows the total  load from the disturbed mine
areas as well as the load from the mine  adit.

     Based upon the discharge and  water  quality  data collected over the
September 1974 to September 1975 period  at site  207 on  Fisher Creek
(Figurel5, page 47), the annual contribution of  pollutants was as  follows:
acidity, 28,000 kg; sulfate, 54,400 kg;  iron,  2,180 kg;  and  aluminum,

                                     43

-------
       ACIDITY
      SULFATE
        IRON
      ALUMINUM
               LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
               DASHS INDICATE NO DATA
                                                                                        SITE 102
PARAMETER
ACIDITY
SULFATE
IRON
ALUMINUM
FLOW (at3)
SPRING
RUNOFF
22,400
22,600
6,350
•34
Z.I KIO4
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
1 3,300
15,800
4,100
588
!.2xK>4
ANNUAL
TOTAL
35,700
38,400
10,450
1,422
3.3 x 104
                                                       LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
-— ^cs
3f
m

m
i$k
w,
JJs—^,
PARAMETER
ACIDITY
SULFATE
IRON
ALUMINUM
FLOW (m3)
SPRINS
RUNOFF
62,200
74,800
11,100
4,500
8.8x10*
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
20,300
31,800
2,900
2,100
2.4 xlO4
ANNUAL
TOTAL
82,500
106,600
14,000
6,600
II.ZxIO4
                                                              SITE 109
                                                             LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
PARAMETER
ACIDITY
SULFATE
IRON
ALUMINUM
FLOW (m8)
SPRING
RUNOFF
128,000
175,000
11,900
11,000
SI.OxlO4
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
26,8OO
45,600
2,600
2,800
14.0 xlO4
ANNUAL
TOTAL
154,800
220,600
14,500
13,800
65.0 XlO4
                                                        i°lpSARE JN
                                                                                                A Water Sample Site
                                                                                               CH?Disturbed Area
                                                                                                        or Stream
                                                                                                   CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE
                                                                                                       IN FEET M 8 U
FIGURE  13
Metal loads  at McLaren mine site for water  year 1975.

-------
TABLE  6.   IMPACT  OF A STORM ON RUNOFF QUALITY AT SITE 103


                         Before storm9            During storm*5
                         concentration            concentration
                             mg/1	mg/1
Ca
Mg
Fe» total
Al
Mn
Na
Cd
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
S04
Suspended solids
44
22
230
18
4
1
.04
.8
.4
8
32
910
160
100
18
720
18
4
2
.02
2
1
5
25
1,800
7,710
|J Flow rate = 2.33 Ips
b Flow rate = 5.8 Ips
                           45

-------
a*
Adit Discharge -108
FLOW
Ca
Mg
Fe
Al
Mn
Na
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
S04
SS
Cond.
0.32
200.
12.
12.
0.6
1.2
2.2
1.8
0.3
0.2
0.08
600.
10.
1000.
Highwall
FLOW
Ca
Mg
Fe
Al
Mn
Na
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
S04
SS
Cond.
Seep - 101
0.95
20.
4.3
38.
6.6
1,7
1.6
1.3
.1
3.1
It.
385.
20.
1000.
Pond Discharge -I06a
FLOW
Ca
Mg
Fe
Al
Mn
Na
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
S04
SS
Cond.
0.39
45.
20.
75.
5.
2-
2.2
1.0
0.2
0.7
5.
400.
20.
1200.
Seep - 106
1.2
20.
2.
12.
4.
0.3
1.4
1.2
O.I
0.3
3.
ISO.
70-
500.
Runoff
FLOW
Ca
Mg
Fe
Al
Mn
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
SO 4
SS
Cond.
- 103
2.33
44.
22.
230.
18.
4.
0.8
0.4
3.1
32.
910.
160.
1600.
104
FLOW 5.54
Co 60.
Mg 30.
Fe ISO.
Al 22.
Mn 6.
K 1.
Pb 0,2
Zn 7.0
Cu 35.
S04 850.
SS 90.
Cond. 1800.
Seep-I04a
0.76
IOO.
70.
ISO.
96.
14-
0.2
0.2
9.4
SS.
1500.
10.
25OO.
120
0.56
16.
4.
18.
7-
0,7
0.3
0.06
0.9
8.0
200.
30.
1000-
Ik V

/
\

J
^V. /
^-sf
T^-^e..
/ ^
I07.J[ 1

\/^
                                                              104
                                                                  I04a
                       otity
                                                 109
RUNOFF
FLOW
Ca
Mg
Fe
Al
Mn
Na
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
S04
SS
Cond.
121
1.26
25.
4.
20.
4.
0.5
2.
1.3
O.I
0.6
3. 1
185.
50.
1000.
Seeps
FLOW
Ca
Mg
Fe
Al
Mn
Na
K
Pb
Zn
Cu
S04
SS
Cond.
- 117
0.06
300.
80.
15.
100.
18.
2.4
3.4
0.4
16.0
100.
2000.
40.
2700.
118
0.27
23O.
45.
28.
60.
9.
2.3
2.5
O.5
9.
48.
1350.
40.
2200-
119
0.38
25.
6.
35.
9.
1.
1.8
1.5
0.2
2.
6.
300.
30.
1000-
                                                                 SS-Suspended Solids

                                                                 Cond.- specific  conductance In
                                                                 umhos

                                                                 Flow  in Ips

                                                                 All other  values In mg/l

                                                                 J^-Mine adit
     FIGURE 14
Water  quality at  McLaren mine  site (July 30,1975).

-------
                                                       SITE 202
PARAMETER
ACIDITY
SULFATE
IRON
ALUMINUM
FLOW (m3)
SPRING
RUNOFF
680
I.IOO
20
50
18.0 XIO*
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
80
ISO
3
4
0.8 xlO*
ANNUAL
TOTAL
760
I.28O
23
54
IB.BxIO4
^
— *£V
^
^
-»-*** —



                          oil
          O  25 SO 76 100
            Meters
  A Wafer Sample Site
  C!7Disturbed Area
  —*Creek or Stream
      CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE
          IN FEET MS L
                                                 LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
                                                                 SITE 207
                                                                                                 SITE 205
                                                                                  PARAMETER
                                                        ACIDITY
                                                       SULFATE
                                                         IRON
                                                       ALUMINUM
                                                       FLOW (m3)
                                                                  SPRING
                                                                  RUNOFF
                                                                                              4.2x10
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
  7,100
 16,300
  1,800
    240
 4.9x10*
                                                                                            LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
ii
^
^s:
V^"
S
^
"!??"!
PARAMETER
ACIDITY
SULFATE
IRON
ALUMINUM
FLOW (m3)
SPRING
RUNOFF
21,000
36,600
1,600
1,260
82.7x10*
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
7,000
17,800
580
460
16.6x10*
ANNUAL
TOTAL
28,000
54,400
2,180
1,720
99.3x10*
                                LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
ANNUAL
 TOTAL
 13,400
25,900
 3,300
  380
9.1 xlO4
FIGURE 15
Metal  loads  at Glengary mine site  for  water  year  1975.

-------
1,720 kg.   Based upon limited data,  the copper and zinc loads have been
estimated as 580 kg, and 200 kg, respectively.   These values are probably
on the low side because of the difficulty in measuring accurate flows  due
to water movement through the gravels underlying the stream channel,  and
because of lack of data during parts of the snowmelt and summer storm
periods.

     Approximately 75 percent of the pollution load was discharged during
the snowmelt period, May to July.   During low flow period,  the adit
discharge measured at site 205 produced over 80 percent of  the pollutants
found at site 207 on Fisher Creek (Figure 15, page 47).  Besides the dis-
charge from the adit (site 205), pollutants were discharged from the
Scott Bonnet Mine adit (site 201) and were picked up by the overflow
across mine waste dumps.  This pickup can be noted by comparing the water
quality at sites 202 and 204.

Mill Area

     Introduction

     The mill processed ore from the McLaren mine and was  located between
U.S. 212 and Soda Butte Creek (Figure 2, page 11).  The tailings pond begins
about 120 m southwest of the old mill site, and is roughly  elliptical,
having axial dimensions of about 260 and 150 m.  The tailings pond is over
the old Soda Butte Creek stream channel; the present stream course is the
result of diverting the creek around the north side of the  tailings pile
(Photo 4,^page 49).  When the Bear Creek Mining Company purchased the
McLaren mine property, the mill  site came with the mine in  a "package"
transaction.  Bear Creek leveled the tailings material and  covered it with
roughly 0.5 to 1.0 m of alluvial sand and gravel in the 1960's.

     Geology

,ril.The ra.111 frea 1s underlain by moraine deposits of Pleistocene age
(Elliott,^1973) covered with a thin veneer of recent stream deposits.   Bed-
rock consists of coarse-grained granite and fine-grained diorite.  The
diorite is believed to be a small dike, of Tertiary age, which intruded
the granite.  The diorite was encountered in drill hole number 24B (Figure
16, page 50 and Appendix G), which penetrated the thickest  section of    '

^l« Jh?h14i5 m °f 9f-Vf bel°? ^e tail1ngs and above  bed™k ^ be
related to the lesser resistance of the nongranitic igneous rocks to
chemical weathering (Holmes, 1960, pp. 393-400), or this hole may be
located closer to the part of the valley that was deepest at the time when
glacial aggradation (valley filling) began.  Regardless of
the origin of the gravel-filled depression, the thickness of the gravel
at this location places serious engineering constraints upon any attempts
to flood the tailings pond or to dam the tailings and gravel, preventing
groundwater within the tailings from passing through the gravel
                                     48

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Photo 4.   McLaren mill area showing Soda Butte Creek.

-------
en
O
   FIGURE 16
Sample site location map of the mill tailings area.Large circles
represent  surface water  stations;small  circles represent wells.
The  "300" has been deleted from the well numbers.

-------
       Tailings  Material

       The  thickness  of the  tailings  is  known  to  range  from  about 0.03 to
  9.7 m.  The  tailings  consist  of  phyllosilicates (clays), tectosilicates
  (predominantly feldspars and  quartz;,  sulfides  (mostly  pyrite), iron
  oxides  (magnetite,  goethite,  and  ferric  hydroxide), and calcium salts
  (gymsum and  calcite).  Most of the  material  is  coarser  than 325 mesh
  (a sieve  opening of 44 microns or 0.044  mm).  Chemical  analyses were run on
  samples from nine of  the holes drilled during 1975 to obtain a range for the
  metal values and chemical  constituents that  affect the  smelting costs
  (Table  7,  page 52).   The Bear Creek Mining Company provided auger-location
  and polygonal  ore-reserve  maps and  a tabular summary of their assay of the
  mine  tailings.  Based on the  available data, the value of the tailings at
  current (March  1977) metal prices is:  (1)   gold = $3,240,000, (2) silver =
  $324,800,  and  (3) copper = $1,182,400, for a total metal value in the
  tailings of  4.747 million  dollars.

       Examination of the auger cuttings and split-spoon cores indicated  two
  significant  zones of sulfide oxidation within the tailings.  An  upper zone
 of oxidation showed in all  holes  as red iron stain.   Additional  stringers
 of oxidized material,  seemingly associated with  sandy layers,  were noted
 to a  depth of 3 m.   A  second zone of oxidation,  at the base of the
 tailings,  was erratic.  It consisted of ferric  iron  cementing  material  which,
 with  some  of the fines from the tailings, had filled  the open  space in  the
 underlying sand and gravel.  The  cementing iron  was  principally  goethite
 and one  or more x-ray  amorphous phases.   Because goethite [FeO(OH)]
 commonly forms  by the  dehydration of ferric hydroxide  [Fe(OH)3], ferric
 hydroxide  is  believed  to  be the predominant x-ray amorphous  phase.
 Thermodynamic calculations  suggest that before the tailings  waters  become
 saturated  with  respect to  ferric  hydroxide,  jarosite [KFe3(S04)2(oH)6^
 saturation is reached.

     Hydrology

     Introduction.   The tailings  pond has  been studied for two years, but
 somewhat better water  level data were obtained during  1976.   The tailings
 pond is  an  abnormal  phenomenon, being a lenticular wedge of fine-grained
 sediment artifically emplaced  within a stream channel and stabilized by
 man.   The  diversion  of the  creek around the tailings prevented the backing
 up of  stream  water,  although the tailings  do  create a barrier that retards
 groundwater moving down the hill slope south  of  the pond  from reaching
 the creek.   The  effect of the  barrier is  particularly visible near well  6
 (Figure  16, page 50), as a  seep breaks out where the tailings abut the
 hillside.   Surface water flow  from this seep  through the spillway continues
 until   fall, suggesting that the difference in transmissivity between the
 natural  surficial materials and the  tailings materials is appreciable
 and has  significantly altered  the  hydrologic  regime.   Waters that
 enter    the tailings, react   with the sulfide tailings minerals, and
 pass   through the tailings, return    as mineralized springs,  seeps, and
groundwater,  and  degrade  Soda Butte Creek below the tailings  pond.  Thus,
the study of  groundwater movement  within the tailings provides  important
 information used in evaluating possible rehabilitation  measures.

                                     51

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en
PO
                     TABLE 7.   CHEMICAL ANALYSES  OF MONTANA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY
                               DRILL HOLES,  McLAREN MILL  SITE
Drill
hole no.
22
23
25
28
29
30
31
33
34
Average
nig/ kg
Au
1.40
2.79
1.95
2.51
3.35
7.81
1.95
0.42
5.02
3.01
Ag
5.02
4.46
39.62
7.25
6.70
8.93
1.40
6.70
9.49
9.96
Weight percent
Cu
0.349
0.336
0.246
0.362
0.284
0.297
0.181
0.336
0.427
.313
Pb
0.150
0.200
0.175
0.125
0.100
0.150
0.075
0.150
0.125
.139
Zn
0.100
0.075
0.012
0.075
0.100
0.025
0.025
0.025
0.037
.053
Si02
28.22
33.20
29.36
26.12
28.22
28.42
34.14
28.46
29.46
29.51
S
14.14
11.07
11.24
14.56
13.49
14.32
3.38
11.57
12.91
11.85
Fe
26.96
22.82
24.60
27.94
25.19
27.35
22.82
25.19
24.50
25.26
A1203
21.84
27.54
20.90
20.42
20.01
20.45
20.24
20.31
22.00
21.63

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      Surface Hater  Investigations.  Six surface water stations, numbered 317
 through 322 (Figure  16, page 50) constitute the standard data collection
 network.  The data are presented in Table 8, page 54.  Perennial flow
 exists at sites 317  (Photo 5, page 55), 321, and 322.  The stream at site
 318 is ephemeral, flowing only during the snowmelt runoff period.  Miller
 Creek (319) should be a perennial stream, but the municipal water supply
 for Cooke City is taken from this stream, causing it to become dry in the
 fall of 1974.   At least a part of the flow of Miller Creek was diverted
 during peak runoff in the summer of 1975 by erosion of the stream channel
 and the formation of an alternate channel.  The alternate channel  routed
 water around the study area and delivered it to Soda Butte Creek below site
 322.  Both sites 318 and 319 were dry by September 9, 1975.  Site 320 is on
 the outflow of a pond formed by the coalescence of several  seeps along the
 foot of the tailings dam.   Measurable flow continued at this site beyond
 September 22,  1975, but ceased by October 20.   Site 321  is  a spring at the
 toe of the tailings dam.   It is located approximately where a culvert
 carried Soda Butte Creek underneath the tailings before the creek was
 diverted around the tailings.

      The hydrographs for sites 317  and 322 are  shown in  Figures  17  and  18,
 pages  56 and 57 ;  note that from fall  through spring the  upper station
 has a  higher measurable flow than the  lower station.   This  was attributed
 to increasing  amounts of stream underflow,  just  above station 318 and
 particularly inthe lower  part  of the drainage beyond the  tailings dam,
 based  upon:   (1)  the crossing  by the creek  of its  old stream  channel,
 (2) the  types  of  vegetation  noted there, and (3) the high soil moisture
 noted  in the fall.   A backhoe  pit was  dug just upstream of  site  322
 to test  this hypothesis.   Boulders were encountered  to a depth of 2.4 m,
 which  indicates a  zone  of  very  high transmissivity extending  down to  at
 least this depth.   Conditions  in  the channel of  Soda  Butte  Creek near
 site 318 should be similar.  Hole number 35 was  drilled to  test  for the
 presence of  a granite knob suggested in an earlier report (Wallace et al.,
 1975).   Instead of the  hypothetical shallow granite,  interbedded sandy
 gravel and tailings  to  a depth of 5.1 m and boulders  from 5.1  to 6.7 m
 were drilled.  These  findings verify the highly transmissive  conditions
 necessary for highly  influent stream behavior and significant  underflow.

     Detailed streamflow measurements were conducted on June  21, 1975
 (Table 9, page 59).   The stream-gauging stations (Figure 19,  page 58) were
 selected for position along the stream reach as well as for the best
 available channel condition.  The largest stream losses were  between
 stations one and two  (178 Ips) and between stations nine and ten (213 Ips).
 Total stream loss amounted to 388 Ips, approximately 52 percent of the
 streamflow at the bottom station.  A less detailed study on October 20,
 1975, showed a stream loss of 31 Ips with a flow of 32 Ips at station 12;
 the largest loss occurred between stations one  and three.   These data
 suggest that the annual water outflow from this  area is roughly twice the
measured annual  streamflow at the lower station.

     When recorder or frequent manual  measurements  are available  to con-
struct a stream hydrograph, the effect of rainfall  and snowmelt can be
evaluated and compared to the basin's groundwater base-flow component of

                                     53

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            TABLE s.   MCLAREN MILL  SITE STREAMFLOW DATA (ips)
Date
317
318
Site number

   319        320
                                                           321
                                                       322
05/03/74
05/14/74
05/21/74
05/28/74
06/10/74
06/25/74
07/08/74
07/24/74
08/05/74
08/20/74
09/06/74
09/18/74
10/01/74
10/14/74
11/06/74
11/18/74
12/03/74
12/16/74
01/03/75
01/13/75
01/29/75
02/05/75
02/18/75
03/05/75
03/19/75
04/01/75
04/14/75
04/30/75
05/19/75
05/27/75
06/05/75
06/06/75
06/12/75
06/17/75
06/21/75
07/01/75
07/09/75
07/21/75
07/29/75
08/04/75
08/13/75
08/19/75
08/26/75
09/04/75
09/09/75
09/22/75
10/20/75
-_
102
103
543
628
1308
606
245
157
110
65
61
41
53
60
30
22
17
18
13
10
10
9
9
13
8
8
7
94
46
492
853
676
920
892
1623
1076
330
370
249
184
187
146
79
92
71
60
                           13
                          134
                           34
                          32
                          20
                          11
                          17
                           7
                         116
                         316
                         175
                          76
                          50
                          12
                           8
                           9
                           3
                         DRY
                         DRY
                         DRY
                      173h
                     1133b
                      397
                      170
                       62
                        9
                      121
                      371
                      110
                      352
                      196
                      960
                       VHC
                      274
                       49
                       22
                       12
                        9
                        5
                        6
                      DRY
                      DRY
                      DRY
                        8
                       34
                        8
                        4
                      0.8
                      0.8
                       11
                        2

                        3
                        7
                        2
                      0.9
                      0.9
                        1
                      0.9
                      0.1
                      DRY
—
—
--
--
8
8
7
5
5
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
4
4
7
7
7
8
44b
7
8
8
7
3
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
71
138
138
703
917.
3030b
1088
440
228
m
52
33
26
16
15
11
13
7
7
5
4
5
4
4
4
5
7
4
75
49
664
855
868
1122
751 h
2832b
VH
787
396
272
191
128
110
95
46
49
32
  Dash indicates  no  record
  Estimated
  Very high
                                   54

-------
on
                                                                                 '-^ai'.'-:' ••• •*>
                                                                                            ,. * _ -*c_/ -
                                                                                           . ^".-T%XH.,

                                                                                                 >^
                                          Photo 5.   Soda Butte  Creek near site 317.

-------
   2.5 -
   2.0 -
                                                                        - 1000
           MAY
                                   AUG
                   SEPT
                                                  OCT
                                                          NOV
                                                                  DEC
  25.9 -
£   o
..I ll,J. ,
MAY
1
1 I M


., , . Ill . 1 . , . .11.. .,
JUNE ' JULY ' AUG ' SEPT ' OCT'"' NOV ' 'oEc""1
FIGURE 17
Hydrographs  for Soda  Butte Creek
at sites  317 and 322 for 1974.
                                      b6

-------
  0.5
                                                          — 2.832 Estimated
                                                                                 1-1200
                                                                                 •1100
             Station 322 spec,  con
        JAN
FEB
MAR      APR
                                            MAY
                                    JUNE
                                    JULY
                                                                      AUG
SEPT
"^25.9
= 12.9
o
CC   0

,IJI,

1 III


. n illLn

,illl
II
1, In
JLlLl. .In .IIL..L .1
n .1
        JAN
FEB
                          MAR
FIGURE 18
        Hydrographs for  Soda  Butte Creek

        at sites  317 and 322 for 1975.
                                          57

-------
in
00
                                                                                 CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET U S L
   FIGURE 19
Location  of flow measurement sites  (large numbers),

McLaren  mill site  (July  21, 1975).

-------
 streamflow.   Due to the winter freeze up of the stilling well  and the weir
 destruction  during runoff, only the overall  yearly cycle based on weekly
 and semimonthly measurements can be evaluated.   The base-flow  period  for
 Soda Butte Creek has been marked on a semi logarithmic hydrograph
 (Figure 20,  page 60); the portions  marked VI  and V2 represent  the ground-
 water flow that sustains or supplements the  creek flow from August until
 the following May at sites 317 and  322, respectively.   This groundwater
 contribution, which is measurable as surface water flow, represents only
 2 to 4 percent (V2) of the total  measured surface water flow at the
 point studied (site 322).   In contrast, the  base flow at site  317 is
 roughly 10 percent (VI) of the total  measured surface water flow.   The
 difference is attributed to the steeper stream  gradient in  the upper
 reaches of Soda Butte Creek, which  we believe prevented the development
 of thick gravel  beds, compared with those developed between sites 317
 and 322 (Miller Creek seems to have contributed significantly  to  the
 buildup of gravel  beds more than  12 m thick  locally).   The  difference  in
 ratios of base flow to total  surface flow at  sites  317  and  322 further
 substantiates the premise  that this stretch  of  the  creek is a  natural  zone
 of groundwater recharge.   It is believed  that the total  water  outflow
 from the drainage basin at  site 322 must  be  1.5 to  3.0  times greater than
 the measured  flow at site  322; the  best estimate based  upon the available
 data is that  the annual  groundwater flow  is  approximately equal to  the
 annual  surface water flow.


 TABLE 9.   FLOW MEASUREMENTS (m3/s)  AROUND McLAREN MILL  TAILINGS POND,
           JUNE 21,  1975.
Site
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Soda Butte
flow
0.89
0.71
0.68
0.69

0.65

0 85
\J • \j *J
0.97
0.76

0.75
Previous station
flow plus inflow

0.89
0.71
0.68
__ _
0.70
___
0.85
0.85
0.97
— -
0.80
Tributary
inflow
-— -
—
__ _
0.01
—
0.20
___
—
—
0.04
—
Loss between
station
___
0.18
0.17
-0.01 (gain)
___
0.05
.---
-0.00
-0.12 (gain)
0.21

0.05
Total inflow (stations 1, 5, 7, and 11) = 1.14 m /s
Net loss is 0.39 m3/s at station 12
                                     59

-------
            J    A    S    0    N    D
F    M    A    M
0.001
     FIGURE 20 Semilogarithmic plot of Soda Butte Creek hydrographs
               showing base flow components  VI and V2 for sites
               317 and  322, respectively.
                                   60

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      Groundwater Investigations.  The groundwater study was restricted to
 the tailings pond, with primary emphasis on:  (1) water movement within
 the tailings, (2) avenues of recharge to the tailings materials, and (3)
 the movement of groundwater out of the tailings.   Observation wells  were
 installed to permit measurement of the water level  (Appendix E).  Well-
 injection and surface-infiltration tests were performed to determine tailings
 transmissivities and infiltration rates.  Results of the 1975 field  season
 generally provided additional  data to support previous interpretations
 (Higgins, 1974;  Wallace et al., 1975) except that surface infiltration is
 no longer believed to play a significant role in  recharging the  tailings  if
 the surficial materials have not been disturbed.

      The surface-infiltration  test showed that prior to field capacity of the
 soil  the infiltration rate is  3.239 liters meters-2hour-l.   Once the soil
 is brought up to field capacity, further infiltration should be  negligible.

      Well  27 was used as an injection hole to evaluate the  hydrologic
 character of the tailings.   The well  extended 4.2 m  below land surface
 (tailings  from 0.9 to 4.2 m).

      From  the results of the slug  injection test, it is  believed that  the
 tailings at this site can be represented by a transmissivity value between
 12 and  37  1/m/day,  which means  the tailings material  would  be  classified as a
 poor  aquifer.

      Water-table maps (Figures  21-25,  pages 62-66) were  constructed  from
 the measured water levels  in the wells  (Appendix H)  to interpret  the
 direction  of flow within the tailings.   A flow map will  be presented later
 (Figure  32,  page 78),  once  the  quality  data have been  presented.

      Water Chemistry

     The surface water  chemistry of the  mill  area differs from that of the
 mine areas  in  that  the  creek water is not  acidic, the aluminum concentration
 is one or  two orders of  magnitude  lower, and  the copper and zinc  values
 are considerably  lower  (Appendix E).  The major problem seems to  be the
 dissolved  iron content,  which increases  from  less than 0.1 rng/1 during
 the flood stage  recession to almost 50 mg/1 during the low winter flow
when the tailings pond loss  is diluted by as little as 1.5 to 2.0 volumes
of creek water.   This relationship is depicted graphically in Figure  26,
page 66, which is a log-log  plot of flow versus sulfate concentration.
The sulfate  concentration in samples collected above the mill site (317)
averages approximately 10 mg/1  regardless of the streamflow.  Similarly,
the discharge at  the culvert weir, which drains the  tailings (321), has
an average sulfate concentration of about 700 mg/1,  which does not vary
greatly as a function of flow.   At the sampling site below the tailings
(322), the sulfate concentration is definitely related to flow.  The
ideal  dilution curve, assuming  a fixed quantity and  composition of
pollutant mixing  with a variable quantity of fixed composition dilutant,
behaves  somewhat  differently than the preceding figure.  The initial
dilution (as much as fivefold)  is very nearly linear and has a slope  of
-1.0,  but with an increasing amount of dilutant (flow in Figure 26, page 67)

                                     61

-------
CTl
ro
                                                                                CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE If-: FEET USL
    FIGURE 21
Water table map  of the McLaren  mill site (May  ei,  1974).

-------
cr>
CO
    FIGURE 22
Water table map  of  the McLaren mill site (June 6, 1974).

-------
FIGURE 23
Water table map of the McLaren mill site (July 12, 1974).

-------
FIGURE 24
Water table map of the McLaren mill site (July I, 1975).

-------
cn
en
                                                                                       25    50    75   100
                                                                                 CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET M S L
    FIGURE 25         Water table map  of the McLaren  mill site (September  9,  1975).

-------
CD
                1,000
                 500
                 200
             _   100
             O
             en
                  50
                   20
                   10
                       M
                                                              	1	___,	

                                                              A= SITE 317
                                                              • = SITE 321
                                                              • =SITE 322
                               J	L
                                                  -I	L.
                                                                 _L
                                                                            J
                   0.001       0.003   0.006       0.01     0.03
                                                                                                      J	L
                          0.06       0.15
                           Flow (m3/s)
0.3      0.6
                                                                                                      1.4      2.8    5.7
              FIGURE  26
Flow  versus  sulfate  plot  for  sites 317,  321,  and  322.

-------
the straight line becomes a curve, which asymptotically approaches the value
of the dillutant concentration.  The departure of site 322 data from this
ideal case results from two complicating factors:  (1) the volume and com-
position of the tailings effluent is not constant, the variable volume being
the more significant problem, and (2) during periods of high flow in Soda
Butte Creek, a significant fraction of the water is derived from Miller Creek,
which has a higher average sulfate content (15 mg/1) than the Soda Butte
Creek water.

     The major pollutant in Soda Butte Creek is iron.   Dissolved iron seems to
be the dominant factor affecting trout mortality (Knudson and Estes, 1976).
The concentration of dissolved iron in Soda Butte Creek cannot be solely re-
lated to flow or to sulfate concentration.  Plots of these factors show too
much scatter to permit meaningful results from dependent variable regression
analysis of one factor at a time.  Multiple regression techniques could be
used to evaluate the effects of reclamation.   Factors  that should be consider-
ed include:  flow, pH, distance from source,  water composition (especially
bU4^- and HCOa-), redox potential, suspended sediment, total recoverable iron
(iron in water and sediment released by treating the raw sample with 1 volume
percent concentrated acid, preferably HN03),  and creek stage (the high iron
values associated with high flow are usually found during the rising stage,
probably resulting principally from the transport of colloidal size Fe(OH)a
and dissolution of KFe3(S04)2(OH)6).   The latter material (jarosite) is some-
what soluble in meltwater runoff or precipitation despite its thermodynamic
solubility constant of approximately IcHOl (D. Langmuir to J. Sonderegger,
December 1975, personal communication), and could contribute to the formation
!  colloidal iron of fine enough size to be classified as dissolved according
to the following reaction.

    . KFe3(S04)2(OH)6 + 3 H20 = K+ + 3 Fe(OH)3 + 2 S042- + 3 H+         (1)

This would help to explain Higgins'  (1974, page 14) observation that rainfall
upon the mill  site resulted in the rapid formation of  acidic, high iron,
sulfate runoff water.  Jarosite would be expected only in conjunction with
waters right in sulfate, as a secondary mineral.   Most occurrences are
related to acid mine drainage from shafts, spoils, and tailings, or natural
drainage from zones of intense sulfide mineralization.

     The area's more significant  source of "dissolved" and total recoverable
iron is probably the very fine iron precipitate,  which is moved from the
land surface only during hard rainfall  and from stream channels only during
high flow periods.   At site 317,  above the tailings pond, dissolved iron
values are low (^0.03 mg/1) during February, March, and April.  As the
runoff starts and streamflow increases, the dissolved  iron concentrations
start to rise, reaching a maximum before the  creek crests.  Data concerning
total  recoverable iron are available  starting in  June  1975 and suggest a
similar pattern.   The sample for July 30, 1975, was collected at the
cessation of a brief but intense  rainfall.  The high total recoverable iron
value (16.9 mg/1) is indicative of suspended  sediment  transport (52.7 mg/1)
and is believed to result from the transport  of ferric hydroxide, because
                                     68

-------
 the  iron, determined by difference, constitutes 32 weight percent of the
 suspended material.

      The data from below the tailings pond (site 322) follow a different
 pattern, owing to the influence of the tailings effluent.  Dissolved iron
 decreases with increasing flow, with one exception.  The July 2, 1975
 sample is anomalously high in all metals, probably contained in fine colloids;
 the total suspended solids content was 631.56 mg/1, the stage was rising,
 and the flow (2,700 Ips) was near the peak.  The decrease in iron is
 attributed to dilution and to increased aeration and pH, factors that in-
 crease the rate of ferric hydroxide formation from dissolved ferrous iron
 (Stumm and Morgan, 1960, p. 534).  The data for total recoverable iron
 suggest a bimodal distribution, with higher values during low flow,  and
 during high flows associated with rising-limb  runoff or times of intense
 precipitation.

      The chemical character of waters from the mi 11-site observation wells
 (Appendix E),the seeps  at the toe of the tailings  dam,  and the spring(approx-
 imately where the old stream culvert is reported to have passed
 through the tailings  dam)  is related to flow  through the tailings  material
 and the reactions that  occur during that passage.   The  key points  are:

      (1)   Iron  (both  total  recoverable and  dissolved) and sulfate  con-
           centrations are  considerably lower  at the  culvert  weir and
           seep  sites  than  in  the  wells  at the lower  end  of the  tailings
           pond.

      (2)   The field pH at  the  culvert weir  spring  is  considerably  higher
           than  that of the  lower  wells;  the field  pH  of  the  seeps  at  the
           toe of  the  dam  is as  low  as the pH  of the tailings well  waters
           or lower.

      (3)   The specific conductance  and total  dissolved solids values are
           smaller for the  culvert weir samples than  for  samples from the
           lower wells.

     These facts  are  interpreted as the result of the mixing of dissimilar
waters to  explain the chemical composition of samples from the culvert weir
site.  Consideration of a system in which only the tailings groundwater
appears at the culvert weir spring requires one or more precipitation
reactions, which  reduce the iron and sulfate concentrations while
increasing the pH (i.e., consuming hydrogen ions).   In general, the
weathering  and dissolution reactions for oxide, carbonate, and silicate
minerals consume hydrogen ions and increase the concentration of dissolved
constituents, whereas the precipitation or secondary formation of these
minerals lowers the concentrations of dissolved constituents but releases
hydrogen ions to the aqueous phase.   The precipitation of iron as a hydroxide
would lower the pH and would not alter the sulfate  content.  Sulfate
reduction by a reductant such as organic carbon

     Fe+2 + CH4 + S04'2  = H2C03 + FeS + HzQ                        (2)


                                     69

-------
would reduce both Iron and sulfate  concentrations,  but  organic material  in
the tailings is not sufficient nor  is  the redox  potential  of  the  water  issu-
ing from the spring low enough for  troilite  (FeS)  or pyrite  (Fe$2)  to be
stable relative to ferric hydroxide.   The precipitation of jarosite utilizing
both particulate and dissolved iron would provide  the desired results

     2 K+ + Fe3+ + 5 Fe(OH)3 + 4 S042- =  2 KFe3(S04)2(OH)6 +  3 OH"        (3)

but dissolved potassium is insufficient for  this reaction  to  be significant,
and the weathering product (kaolinite) resulting from the  destruction of
microcline and Muscovite to provide the necessary  potassium  ions  was not
noted in the clay analyses for hole 24A.

     The preceding discussion was not  meant  to deny the possibility of  any
of the reactions considered from occurring to some  extent.   If an average
flow of 2.8 Ips and an iron content of 125 mg/1  are assumed  for the spring
outflow, then more than 11 metric tons of iron is  released annually at  this
site, and two to eight times this amount  must be left behind  as a precipitate
of some sort.  The absence of identifiable products of  these  reactions  sug-
gests that they are not the major factor  controlling the chemical composition
or the tailings effluent issuing from  the culvert weir  spring.  Thus, a mix-
ing model consistent with chemical  quality of the well  waters must  be con-
sidered.
     An isopleth is  defined as  a  line  connecting points of equal  size or
abundance; maps showing  the magnitude  of  the  pH, specific conductance, sul-
rate concentration,  and  dissolved iron concentration are presented to
facilitate the discussion  of water movement,  mixing, and the concomitant
chemical  reactions.   The weathering of pyrite may  be dipicted as  (Appendix D)

     FeS2 + 7/2 02 + H20 = Fe2+ + 2 S042- + 2 H+                         (4)

under moderately reducing  conditions similar  to those  encountered in the
tailings.  The reaction  rate has  been  shown to be  controlled in large part
lLpr%5V™      ?  ?! the °Xldant   page  52)"   The maP of PH values  (Figure
27, page 71) indicates  a trough-shaped  feature similar to that  found  on the
water-table maps.  This area of lower pH  is  believed  to  represent  significant
water input from the gravel  beneath  the tailings,  predominatly  streamflow
loss to the gravel  but  also  a groundwater contribution from  the  higher ground
to the south.
     The ^ specific conductance map  (Figure  28,  page  72)  shows  two  zones of
highly mineralized water separated by  a  less mineralized  zone,  this distrib-
ution is believed to result from dilution  and  from  permeability
                                     70

-------
*"•>    **"
                                                                                        0    25   SO    75   100
                                                                                       CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET U S
     FIGURE  27
Isopleth map of field pH values from wells
at the  McLaren mill  site (July 2, 1975).

-------
ro
                                                                                   25   50   75   100
                                                                                     Meters
    FIGURE 28
Isopleth map of laboratory specific  conductance (ymhos/cm1)
from weUs at the  McLaren mill site (July 2, 1975).

-------
 differences.   According to Higgins  (1974),  wells  4,  10,  and  11  penetrated
 0.6,  0.5,  and<0.03 m,  respectively,  of the  underlying  gravel, which  suggests
 that  dilution is probable at wells 4 and 10,  and  barely  possible at  well
 11.   Well  10  has a very high specific conductance,  indicative of very
 limited  mixing with water from below.   Dilution by mixing  is probably
 occurring  at  well  4; well  11  is indeterminate as  its location is near the
 margin of  the tailings, and the gradient between  the stream  and the  hole
 bottom is  still  fairly steep,  suggesting a  small  artesian  head  in the
 gravel.

      Sulfate  is  the dominant anion in  the mineralized  water  and is believed
 to behave  almost conservatively.  The  amount  of sulfate  lost from the
 aqueous  phase by the precipitation of  gypsum,  jarosite,  and  other sulfate
 minerals should  be minor,  for  reasons  stated  earlier.  Consequently, the
 map of sulfate concentration isopleths (Figure 29, page  74)  resembles
 the specific  conductance map.   The major difference in the maps is related
 to the alkalinity/sulfate  ratios  of  wells along the southern and eastern
 margin of  the tailings; in these  wells,  the bicarbonate  ion  contributes
 significantly to the specific  conductance.  The waters from  these wells have
 not been extensively altered  by chemical  reactions with  sulfide minerals.

      The map  of  the dissolved  iron isopleths  is presented  (Figure 30,
 page  75) primarily because of  the significance of iron in this study.  The
 data  suggest  the same  basic configuration, but the iron  values show
 extreme  seasonal  variation in  some of  the wells (3, 5, and 6 especially)
 as listed  in  Appendix  E.   These wells  are near the old channel  occupied
 by Soda  Butte Creek prior  to the  construction  of the tailings dam (E. Nott
 to J. Wallace, July 1974,  personal communication).  The  high iron values
 in winter  suggest  that  the old  channel is partly blocked below well  6
 and that a perched  water table  forms within the streambed during the winter
 when  the water table in  the  gravel would  be at its lowest level  in the
 yearly cycle.

      Discussion

      Groundwater Flow  in Tailings.  The depiction of the groundwater flow
 pattern within the  tailings material  depends upon the interpretation of
 the hydraulic characteristics of  the units present and  how they  react in
 the dynamic situation.   Figure 31, page 76,  depicts stratigraphy at  the
 tailings pond.  The crucial factor is the presence and  nature of a boundary
 condition between the tailings and the underlying gravel.  If a  thick,
 relatively impermeable  ferric hydroxide cementing zone  were present
 everywhere at the base of  the tailings, the  tailings material would  con-
 stitute a semi-isolated hydrologic system, and flow within the tailings
would be roughly normal to the water-table contours.   Wells that partly or
completely penetrate such a barrier,  however,  will measure partly or
completely the effect of water levels or piezometric pressures  in the
underlying gravel, resulting in lower water  levels during most or all of
the year.  Even in the absence of the hydroxide cementing material,  a
distinct  permeability difference between the two layers constitutes  a
hydrologic boundary condition of considerable  significance.  In  both cases,
the groundwater within  the tailings  will  migrate laterally, but  a

                                     73

-------
                                                                           /     /V>---?-72;
                                                                          \{   '  ///T^	
                                                                           *   ( r&?

                                                                                  '  \  \\
                                                                      CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET M S L
                                                        S4%®'
FIGURE 29
Isopleth  map of sulfate concentration from wells
at the McLaren mill site (July 2, 1975).

-------
Ol
                                                                                   CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET M S
    FIGURE 30
Isopleth  map  of  dissolved iron concentration from
wells at  the McLaren  mill site  (July 2, 1975).

-------
METERS
0 -r
 2 -•
 3 - •
 4 * *
 5 J-
                  RECHARGE
                   BARRIER
                                  SOIL
                  HYOROLOGIC
                  UNIT NO. I
                    -BARRIER
                  HYDROLOGIC
                  UNIT NO. 2
                  HYDROLOGIC
                  UNIT NO. 3
LAND SURFACE
TOPPING RUBBLE
TAILINGS, SAND, SILT
Fe(OH)n CEMENTED ZONE
SAND, GRAVEL, SILT
                                             ZONE OF WEATHERING
                                             (NOT ALWAYS PRESENT)
 FIGURE  31  McLaren tailings pond-diagrammatic vertical section.
                               76

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 significant factor is  the loss of water to the  gravel  during  the  fall,
 winter,  and spring seasons.   The drilling  of wells  on  the  tailings has
 undoubtedly made the recharge problem worse, in that surface  meltwater has
 recharged the tailings at most wells, by drainage down the hole around the
 outside  of the casing  and even by direct flow down  the casing (wells 1 and
 6,  in  particular).   Furthermore, the  well  construction, which has disturbed
 or  eliminated the boundary between the tailings and the gravel in some
 places,  permits the gravel  zone to act as  a  direct  recharge source to
 higher sections of the tailings.

     The relative effect  of this disturbance can be partly documented for
 wells  25,  26,  and 27,  which  were drilled,  gravel packed, and  flushed on
 September 8,  1975.   Their measured depths  were  5.9, 6.9, and  4.2 m,
 respectively,  compared to drilled depths of  9.1, 8.4,  and  8.4 m,
 respectively,  suggesting  that fine gravel,  sand, silt, and clay infilled the
 holes  3.0,  1.5, and 3.7 m,  respectively.   The holes are only  3 m apart, and
 the water levels measured on September 11,  1975, were  5.9, 4.7, and 3.3 m,
 respectively,  below land  surface.   The water-table  slope (0.42  m/m) is
 unrealistically high and  reversed from the  gradient depicted  by the other
 wells.   Therefore,  it  is  believed that these water  levels  show effective
 hydraulic  connection with the underlying gravel; wells 25  and 26 were at
 least  cased  into the gravel,  whereas  well 27  had sloughed  in  to a point
 1.3 m  above  the top of the  gravel  before the casing was installed.  Most
 of  the fill within  the casings  is  believed to be tailings materials.

     The reason for questioning  the validity of the water-table maps in
 representing water  levels within the  tailings is the effect of well  con-
 struction upon  the  water  levels.   Variation  in  depth of gravel penetrated,
 extent of sloughing  before casing  installation, and the settling out of
 finer material  within  the casing will  all affect the water-level  response
 of  the wells.   The  water  quality data  were used to aid in determining now
 direction, once  the  leakage effects were considered.
     The groundwater flow map (Figure 32, page 78), has_two types of
arrows.  The open arrows show the effect of the pre-immng stream channel  s
ability to move groundwater from the hills that lie to the south and from
the marginal area of the tailings.  The high iron and sulfate values
determined for well 6 during November and December 1974 and January 1975
(Appendix E) suggest either that some tailings-material groundwater is
drained off during the winter or that the channel  becomes nearly stagnant,
and weathering reactions adjacent to the channel  are affecting the water
quality.

     The dark arrows represent the flow pattern based upon the measured
water levels and, to a lesser extent, upon the water chemistry.   The high
iron and sulfate values for samples from wells 8,  10, and 15 suggest that
a low-permeability zone separates them from the main flow path (heavy
arrows).  The very slow rise of the water level in well 14, as well  as
the iron and sulfate concentrations, suggest a less permeable area.   Well  14
is shallow, the bottom being only slightly more than 3m below the original
land surface.  Consequently, it is believed to be  the least affected by the
influence of the underlying gravel.   The observation that the water  levels
                                     77

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00
                                                                                       25    SO    75   100
                                                                                          Meters
                                                                                 CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET M S L
    FIGURE 32
Generalized flow map showing direction of groundwater
movement within  the tailings (July 2, 1975).

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 in well T4 are in reasonable agreement with the water tab7es constructed when
 omitting well 14 suggest that the flow directions inferred from the water
 table maps are correct in general form but would be altered locally by further
 monitoring of the wells drilled during the T975 field season.

      Mineral Stabilities.  The water samples collected at the  culvert  weir
 spring (site 321), although believed to be the result of mixing,  do provide
 some preliminary clues to the reactions affecting the water composition.
 First, the presence of secondary gypsum within the tailings should  be
 expressed by saturation values for this mineral  unless mixing  is  significant.
 The calculated ion activity product, 10-5-344, for the August  4,  1975,  sample
 is considerably less than the ion activity product at equilibrium,  which  is
 10-4,862.   These data suggest that a minimum dilution of two parts  distilled
 water with one part tailings water is necessary  to account  for the  observed
 undersaturation.   Samples collected on the same  date  from wells 3,  5,  10,
 and 14 were supersaturated with  respect to gypsum and samples  from  wells  2,
 6, and 16  were at 0.4, 0.1, and  17 percent saturation,  respectively.  These
 later samples  are believed to represent the unaffected groundwater  (well  2),
 a  mixture  of groundwater  and surface water  underflow (well 6),  and the initial
 stages of  influent surface water and groundwater reacting with tailings (well
 16).

      The chemistry of the  spring water is  very similar  to that of the
 McLaren adit discharge.   The  major  difference  between  them  is  the extent
 to which sulfide  weathering  and  other reactions  proceed during the contact
 of the water with  the  tailings.   Oxygen may  be consumed according to Stumm
 and Morgan's (1970,  pp. 540.542)  pyrite oxidation model (stoichiometricany
 or roughly  so, using  equations (4) and  (7), Appendix D), but the field and
 laboratory  data  for  the August 4, 1975, sample (pH * 6.46, Eh = 197 mv,
 total  dissolved iron = 106 mg/1,  sulfate = 556 mg/1, HC03- (at lab pH of
 5.50) = 106 mg/1,  computer calculated  ionic strength = 0.0198)  suggest that
 the iron levels are controlled by the  formation of amorphous Fe(OH)s.  Using
 these i-ron and sulfate concentrations, a value of 66.9 percent may be calcu-
 lated using equation  (12), Appendix D, for the iron released by pyrite
weathering which actually reaches the spring.  The water composition suggests
that roughly one-third of the iron released by sulfide weathering  is precip-
itated in the tailings; this is in general  agreement with field and  labora-
tory examination of the drill core and cuttings.

     A list of the minerals calculated to be supersaturated, based upon  the
composition of the tailings effluent at the spring, includes:

     adularia                     goethite               leonhardite
     a1 unite                      halToysite            maghemite
     bixbyite                     hematite               magnetite
     boehmite                     illite                Mn(OH)3
     cristobalite                 jarosite               montmon'Tlonite
     diaspore                     kaolinite             pyrolusite
     Fe(OH)3amorphous             K-mica                pyrophyllite
     gibbsite                     laumontite             quartz
                                     79

-------
This list contains many minerals not identified optically or by x-ray  dif-
fraction.  Some of the missing species may be present  in  trace  amounts as
coatings, others may not have formed for kinetic reasons, and a few  may not
actually be as stable as calculated, owing to poor thermodynamic data.
Lastly, although the solution may be saturated with respect  to  several  solid
phases, some of these minerals will  be unstable with respect to others (the
simplest example is Si02, where the  solution is saturated with  respect to
quartz and Cristobal ite and nearly saturated (84%) with respect to
chalcedony).  If equilibrium were attained, the number of phases would be
constrained by the phase rule, but because of seasonal fluctuations of the
water table and of groundwater velocities and therefore of the  fugacity of
oxygen, it is doubted that equilibrium is ever attained,  even within a
small volume of the tailings.

     Annual Flow and Metal Loads.  An analysis of the  annual  flow and  total
     hi?n *  •i?ri!US*wa!r quality  samPlin9 Sltes ^  the McLaren mill  site
       5?7  wi  tJiate ^oo°U[CeS  and amount of Pol^tant  load.  Four
      ^i ' II ' 321' a?d 322> have  been chosen to show the  metal load at
   u   *e" ,The annual load was determined for water year 1975, and  the
method for determining the load has  been described previously on page  41 .
s1tes317r%2o' I*?*  n'rfSS?S  t!?h  m?tal  l°aduf°r  the  McLaren m111
sites 317, 320, 321, and 322.   The load  has  been  determined for the soring
   °                        *"      5'  1975)' the ^ma?nder of t e wa e?
                                      and  August  5>  1975 to Se'temb- 30>
     The determination of pollutant  load at  each  source now  and after anv
reclamation, will  help to determine  the effectiveness of ?he reclalalion *
                                    80

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00
                         SITE  322
           PARAMETER
            SULFATE

            IRON (TR)

            FLOW Cm9)
 SPRING
 RUNOFF
 223,100

 103,900

84.8 x 10*
REMAINDER
 OF  YEAR
  114,800

  10,000

 12.5x10*
ANNUAL
 TOTAL
337,900

113,900

97.3x10*
                     LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
                                                                                                                     O
                                                                                               317
                                                     SITE  320
PARAMETER
SULFATE
IRON (TR)
FLOW (m3)
SPRING
RUNOFF
38,600
3,740
0.7 X 10*
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
IO4.700
9,340
1.3x10'
ANNUAL
TOTAL
143,300
13,080
2.0x10*
                                                LOADS  ARE IN KILOGRAMS
                        McLAREf
                       MILL SITE
                                                      76 37-
                                              SITE 321
f -. ..x^bJU
b^g,

~~-~^ *~~-*
^__>__ 4«>— •*" ""
PARAMETER
SULFATE
IRON (TR)
FLOW (m3)
SPRING
RUNOFF
50,700
18,000
0.8 xlO*
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
25,000
4,600
O.4xlOS
ANNUAL
TOTAL
75,700
22,600
1.2x10*
f
r
/
/
                                          LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
                                                                                                 SITE 317
PARAMETER
SULFATE
IRON (TR)
FLOW (ms)
SPRING
RUNOFF
53,400
18,550
75.1 xlO5
REMAINDER
OF YEAR
6,800
100
8.4x10*
ANNUAL
TOTAL
60,700
18,650
83.5x10*
                                                                                             LOADS ARE IN KILOGRAMS
                                                                                                                    t   *
                                                                                                            Feet
                                                                                                             IQO    200
                                                                                                 CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET H S L
     FIGURE  33
          Metal loads at  McLaren  mill  site for water  year 1975.

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                                  SECTION  5

                              BIOLOGICAL STUDY


                                Introduction

     During the summer of 1975,  the Montana  Department  of  Fish  and  Game  con-
ducted a biological  study on three acid mine  impacted streams near  Cooke City,
Montana.  The purpose of the biological portion  of the  study was  to supply
input into the selection of a technique or techniques to reduce and treat
the acid mine seepage, originating at three  abandoned hard rock mine sites.
Specifically, this portion of the study was  designed:   (1) to determine  the
existing degraded conditions of  the biological  communities in the three
impacted streams below the acid  mine sites,  and  (2)  to  attempt  to define
what components of the wastes are responsible for this degradation.   This
information could then be used to estimate how effective,  e.g., percent  re-
moval of heavy metals, etc., any abatement technique must  be to restore  a
viable fishery to the streams.


sontolh! fJnldiS?ct10T °Lthe StUdy Was conducted from  May 19 through
Stonf  ?hp cL;-  " thlS rep°^ !:eference  is «wde  to  fourteen  sampling
stations.  The stations were sampled for water quality  and/or biological  data
on a monthly or bimonthly schedule, depending upon need and acce«1b llty.

              page L!™      Statl'°nS  ^ th61> EPA Slte  numbers are sh°wn
Chemical Sampling

     Basic Chemical  Parameters  and  Heavy  Metal Analyses

     Water samples for laboratory analyses  were  periodically collected  in
polyethylene bottles at all  stations.   Four sample  bottle  were collected
at each station, as  follows:   (1) one  1 ,000 ml bottle, f? tered (In the
field  through a 0.45 micron  filter,  (2)  one 1,000  ml bottle?unf Itered
("as is"), (3) one 1,000 ml  bottle  unfiltered, but  acidified with 10 ml
of concentrated nitric acid  (HN03), and  (4)  one  250 m  bottle fi tere?
through the 0.45 micron filter  and  acidified with 2.5 ml of concentrated
nitric acid.  The bottles were  refrigerated to 40C  and sent to the labora
tory where they were analyzed for thi  following  constituents:

     1.  Basic parameters -  bicarbonate,  calcium, carbonate, chloride,
hardness, magnesium, manganese,  nitrate,  pH,  potassium, silica, sodium,
specific conductance, sulfate,  and  total  alkalinity

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                                                  Custer
                                                   National
                                                   Forest
                                                               Galtatin
                                                                National
                                                                Forest
                                                        GLENGARY
                                                          MINE
               National
    MONTANA         Baffe
    WYOM?NG
                                                     MINE AND MILL LOCATIONS
                                                  A  SAMPLE SITE  LOCATION
                                                • •••  DRAINAGE BASIN BOUNDARY
                                                	  YELLOWSTONE PARK BOUNDARY
                                                .—  STATE BOUNDARY
                                                 X  TRAIL PASS
                                                  •  TOWN
FIGURE 34      Location of water quality and biological
                sampling stations.
                                      83

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     2.  Heavy metals (dissolved and total) - aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron,
lead, and zinc.

     Field Physiochemical Determinations

     Field measurements for dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and
temperature were also made concurrently with the water sampling.  Dissolved
oxygen was measured with a YSI model 57 meter.  Specific conductance was
determined with a YSI model  33 Salinity-Conductivity-Temperature meter.
Stream temperatures were also made with this meter or with a hand-held field
thermometer.

     Stream Sediment Analyses

     In late September, stream bottom gravels were collected at nine of the
sampling stations.   The gravels were returned to the laboratory, where they
were dried, and filtered through a 0.074 mm sieve.  Heavy metal determina-
tions for aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, and zinc were then made on
this fraction of the sample.

Biological Studies

     Benthic Insects

     Aquatic larval insects  were collected from the bottom gravels by using
a Surber Sampler.  A sample  of creek bottom (.09 m2) was taken at each
station on each water chemistry collection date.  The insects were preserved
in the field with 70 percent ethyl alcohol and returned to the laboratory,
where they were enumerated and separated into basic taxonomic groups
(Orders).  In this report the orders of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stone flies
(Plecoptera) and caddis flies (Tricoptera) are considered to be "sensitive"
to changes in water quality, while the rest of the orders (true flies,
beetles, etc.) are considered to be "tolerant" to such changes   This ad-
mittedly is a fairly general categorization; but it is widely used, particu-
larly when the time or taxonomic keys for an area are not available for
further  identification.  A   healthy stream section would therefore contain
a large number of insects, with a high percentage being pollution
"sensitive".  Any reduction  in total numbers or in the percentage of
sensitive organisms from a control station would indicate stream degradation.

     Fish Shocking

     The presence or absence of fish was determined at each station by
shocking a 23 to 90 m stream segment.  A small, battery-operated backpack
fish shocker, capable of producing up to 425 volts, was used   While this is
a fairly reliable method for attracting fish, other factors such as the
electrical conductivity of the water, or simply the lack of suitable physical
habitat may bias the information.

     Bioassays

     A bioassay is an evaluation of the toxicity of a pollutant in which

                                     84

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 living organisms  (in this case fish) provide the scale.  Fish are exposed to
 a waste, or a diluted fraction of a waste, and their ability to survive is
 noted.  All fish  used in this study were small (3-6 cm) Yellowstone cut-
 throat trout (Salmo clarki).  The fish were transported from the Montana
 Department of Fish and Game Yellowstone River trout hatchery at Big Timber,
 Montana, to Cooke City, where they were acclimated for at least 15 days in
 flow-through aquaria.  Miller Creek, which provides the drinking water for
 some residents of Cooke City, was used for this acclimation.

      In-Situ (Caged Fish) Bioassays.  For this portion of the bioassays, ten
 fish were placed  in 50 x 30 x 30 cm fiberglass mesh bags, supported by metal
 frames.   The tests were conducted for a 72-hour period at six stations, and
 for two 96-hour periods at three stations.

      Flow-Through (Aquaria)  Bioassays.   A small  camper trailer,  equipped with
 eight 38-liter aquaria and eight liquid proportional  metering pumps (Matheson
 Scientific No.  56542), was used for this portion of the bioassays.   The
 bioassay unit was located at station 322, which is  below the McLaren mill
 tailings,  near Miller Creek.   This system automatically combined acid mine
 water from Soda Butte Creek  with dilution water from Miller Creek  into present
 proportions.   The following  proportions of Soda  Butte Creek water  were used:
 100, 69,  47,  32,  22,  15,  10,  and 9 percent.   The pumps  were set  to deliver
 200 ml  of  the above  proportions  per minute.   Standpipe  drains maintained a
 volume  of  30  liters  in each  aquarium, which  allowed the test solutions to  be
 turned  over approximately ten times per day.   Water quality samples  taken
 from the aquaria  indicated that  the pumps maintained  the above dilutions
 within ;f 2.0  percent.   Two flow-through bioassays were  conducted for  96  hours
 per test.

      Fish  Tissue  Analyses.   Fish  from all bioassays were removed at  the  end
 of  four days, frozen,  and  taken  to the  laboratory for heavy  metal  analyses.
 Since the  fish  were so small,  several from each  site were pooled prior to
 analysis.   The  fish were  also skinned,  which  allowed each sample to  be
 divided into  two  subsamples:   (1)  tissue and  bones, and  (2)  heads, internal
 organs, and skin.


                                    Results

      Because  individual abatement  techniques will have to be applied at  each
 of the three  impacted  areas,  the  results of the biological study will  be pre-
 sented in three different sections, i.e., Stillwater, Clarks Fork, and Soda
 Butte drainages.

_Stillwater - McLaren Mine Area

     Chemical Sampling

     Basic Chemical Parameters.  Water chemistry and biological  samples were
collected in the headwater area of the Stillwater River on August 5 and 20,
and September 5 and 15, 1975.   This area was not accessible by four-wheel


                                     85

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vehicles before early August, which was unfortunate,  since the peak runoff
from the McLaren mine area was in mid-July.   The six-week sampling  period
therefore spanned the stream stages of high-flow recession and low-flow,
high temperature.

     With the exception of two parameters, the concentrations of the basic
chemical constituents increased with time (decreasing flow),  and decreased
with distance downstream from the mine.  As  was expected, total  alkalinity
and pH did not conform to this pattern.  Total alkalinity clearly increased
both with time and with distance from the mine.  The  pH values demonstrated
a similar, yet less precisely delineated pattern.   Water quality data for the
Daisy Creek-Stillwater stations 109, 127, 128,and 129 are presented in
Appendix E.

     Heavy Metals.  Of the three impacted areas which were studied  for this
report, the stream below the McLaren mine (Daisy Creek) consistently con-
tained the highest concentrations of heavy metals.  At station 109, the
dissolved values for copper, iron, and particularly aluminum, were  always
much higher than concentrations reported in .the literature to be toxic to
trout (greater than 2.0 mg/1).  The dissolved concentrations  of the other
three metals—cadmium, lead, and zinc—were much lower, with  only zinc
appearing at values greater than 0.01 mg/1.   By station 127,  3 km below the
mine, these concentrations were reduced, without any  consistent pattern,  to
values 2 to 100 times less than those found at station 109.   Below  station
127 and before station 128, the other two feeder streams of the Stillwater
converge with Daisy Creek to form the headwaters of the river.  In  this
0.5 km section of the stream, most of the heavy metals are rapidly  pre-
cipitated, and by station 128, no dissolved concentrations were ever found
at values above 0.1 mg/1 (Appendix E).  This removal  of dissolved metals
is no doubt prompted by the relatively high buffering capacity of the middle
and west feeder streams, which have never been influenced by  mining activity.
The only water sample collected from the middle feeder stream contained a
total alkalinity concentration of 87 mg/1, nearly 20  times the highest
concentration found at station 127.  Also, throughout the study period, the
flow of both the middle and west feeder streams was roughly equal to Daisy
Creek, which added a considerable amount of alkaline  dilution to the upper
river system.

     Stream Sediment Analyses.  The results of the heavy metal determinations
for the fine (0.074 mm sieve) gravels from the Stillwater drainage  are pre-
sented in Table 10,p. 87.   Significantly  higher concentrations of precipitated
metals were found at station 128 compared to the control station (129), or
to the station above the confluence of the other two  feeder streams (station
127).  Two exceptions were iron and lead, which were  slightly more  concentra-
ted at station 127 than at station 128.

     Biological Studies

     Benthic Insects.  The total number of benthic insects was severely
reduced at station 127, with only two insects being found on  four sampling
dates, for an average of 0.5 organisms per 0.09 m2.  At station 128, the
number of benthics had not recovered nearly as dramatically as the  improve-

                                     86

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 TABLE 10.   HEAVY METAL ANALYSES OF STREAM GRAVELS, STILLWATER DRAINAGE,
            (IN^g/g).
 Station     Aluminum     Cadmium     Copper     Iron     Lead      Zinc
127
128
129
77,140
87,490
73,190
2.2
7.6
1.5
2,640
11,450
83
93,300
84,450
40,250
173
116
66
260
1,280
129
 ment in water quality might  hint,  since  the  average  number  had only increased
 to  3.75 organisms  per 0.09 m2.   These  values are  very  low compared to the
 control  station (129), which contained an average value  of  118 organisms per
 0.09 m2.   Station  129 had a  clean,  fine  gravel  bottom, while the former
 two stations  had a "cemented",  heavy metal appearance.   Due to low benthic
 population  at station 127, no bottom samples were collected at the even more
 degraded area of station 109.

      Fish  Shocking.   On September  17,  1975,  stream segments ranging from 30
 to  90 m were  shocked  in the  vicinity of  stations  127,  128, and 129.  No fish
 were  found.   In addition to  checking these normal  sampling sites for the
 presence  of fish,  several more  pool and  riffle  areas were shocked on the
 mainstem  of the Stillwater as far as 1.3 km  below station 128.   No fish
 were  found even in stream sections with  excellent  physical habitat.  The
 electrical conductivity of the  water was  apparently conducive to shocking,
 since numerous  insects were  stunned and  floated to the surface in the
 vicinity of the control site.

      Bioassays.  One  72-hour in-situ bioassay was conducted from September
 15  through September  18, 1975.   Cages were placed at stations 127,  128,  and
 129.  At station 127,  all ten fish were  dead after 24 hours.  At station
 128,  only two  fish  died after 72 hours, yielding a survival  of 80 Percent,
 the surviving  fish were quite healthy and responsive, showing little abnormal
 behavior or Stress.  All of  the  control  fish at station 129 survived the test.

      Heavy Metal Analyses of Fish Tissue.  The concentrations of aluminum
 and copper in the  head, skin, and internal organs (composite)  subsample
of fish from station  127 were much higher than the values for these metals
at any of the other stations in the study   These concentrations  indicate
that the  cause of fish mortality in the bioassay at station 127  was very
likely due to these two metals.   The results  of fish tissue  analyses for
the Stillwater stations are presented in  Table 11, page 38.

Cjarks Fork - Glengary Mine Area

     Chemical  Sampling

     Basic Chemical Parameters.   Four stations were sampled  in  the  headwater


                                     87

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TABLE 11.  HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN FISH FLESH FROM THE STILLWATER/
           MCLAREN MINE STATIONS  SEPTEMBER 1975  (irug/g DRY WEIGHT).
Station
Station
     Head, skin, and internal organs composite

Aluminum      Cadmium      Copper      Iron
127
128
129
780
260
69
1.05
1.34
1.22
279
153
9
803
254
119
113
249
95
Aluminum
Flesh and bones composite

 Cadmi urn	Copper	Iron
                                                              Zinc
  127
  128
  129
    54
    37
    21
  < .60
  < .60
  < .60
335
151
  6
 86
254
 54
68
82
75
area of the Clarks Fork Yellowstone from August 5 through  September
23, 1975.  As was true of the Stillwater drainage, the high stream runoff
period (early July) was not sampled.  The four sampling dates (August 5, 20,
and September 5 and 23, 1975) were therefore all within the low-flow, high-
temperature stream stage.

     With two exceptions, total alkalinity and pH, the concentrations of the
basic chemical parameters increased:  (1) with decreasing  flow,  and (2) with
increasing distance from the mine site.   Both total  alkalinity and pH in-
creased at the sampling stations downstream from the mine, but slowly de-
creased as the flow, in turn, began to subside.  Water quality data is pre-
sented in Appendix E.  It should be noted, however,  that these latter two
parameters demonstrated a rather sporadic response to changes in flow  a
reflection of the poor buffering capacity of streams in the Upper Clarks Fork
drainage.

     Heavy Metals.  Even at the furthest upstream station  (207)  the heavy
metal concentrations were far lower than those found in the upper stations  of
the Stillwater - McLaren mine area.  At station 207, aluminum and copper were
the most concentrated dissolved metals,  the former being found in the 19
to 2.7 mg/1 range, and the latter in the 0.7 to 0.8  mg/1 range   Dissolved
iron was never found above 0.3 mg/1, and zinc was always less than 0.2 mg/1.
The dissolved cadmium and lead concentrations were always  less than 0.01 mg/1.
At site 209, 4 km below the mine, and at site 213, below the confluence of
Lady of the Lake Creek, no dissolved heavy metal ever exceeded 0.1 mg/1.
These data are presented in Appendix E.

     Stream Sediment Analyses.  Stream gravels were  collected at stations 209,
213, and 214.   The results of the fine (0.074 mm sieve) gravels  are in Table
12,p. 89.  In the stream sediment analyses, no distinct patterns of heavy metal

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 TABLE  12.   HEAVY  METAL  ANALYSES  OF  STREAM  GRAVELS,  CLARKS  FORK DRAINAGE,
            IN^g/g.


 Station       Aluminum       Cadmium       Copper       Iron      Lead      Zinc
209
213
214
80,690
68,800
72,530
2.5
3.5
3.8
3,130
2,070
2,300
73,650
67,750
62,850
153
133
163
320
400
460
precipitation were  evident.   In fact, three metals, cadmium, lead, and zinc,
were more concentrated  in  the  sediments of the control station than at either
of the affected stations.

     Biological Studies

     Benthic Insects.   An  improvement in total number of benthic insects can
be seen with distance downstream from the mine.  At station 209, an average
of 5.25 organisms per 0.09 m2  were collected, and by station 213, this average
had increased to 9.75.  These  values were lower than the control station
(214), where 12.0 organisms per 0.09 m? were collected.

     Fish Shocking.  On September 18, 1975, three 100 m stream segments were
shocked in the vicinity of stations 209, 213, and 214.  No fish were found at
any of these stations.  Although the physical habitat at all stations appeared
suitable to support fish, the  electrical conductivity of the water was quite
low, greatly lowering the efficiency of the shocking unit.   Fish may have
been present but possibly were not attracted to the unit s probes.

     Bioassays.  One 72-hour in-situ bioassay was conducted from September 16
through September 19, 1975.  Fish cages were placed at stations 209, 213, and
214.   No mortalities occurred  at any of the stations.   However, the test at
station 209 was terminated at  60 hours by vandals  removing the cage from the
stream.

     Heavy Metal Analyses of Fish Tissue.   In this drainage  the metal con-
centrations contained in the bioassay tish were far lower ^"^6  values
found in fish from the other two study areas   This should be expected  since
no fish mortalities were recorded at any of the Clarks Fork stations.   The
fish tissue analyses for this drainage are presented in Table 13, page 90.

Soda Butte - McLaren Mill Area

     Chemical Sampling

     Basic Chemical Parameters.  Water samples for complete analyses were
collected on eight dates from toy 19 through September 14,  1975.   The mill
tailings had a moderate influence on the basic water chemistry of Soda Butte
Creek.   In fact, the concentration of major cations increased slightly at


                                     89

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TABLE 13.   HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN FISH FLESH FROM THE CLARKS FORK-
           GLENGARY MINE STATIONS, SEPTEMBER 1975 (IlUtg/g DRY WEIGHT).
                  Head, skin, and Internal  organs composite

Station      Aluminum      Cadmium      Copper      Iron      Zinc
209
213
214
325
78
81
< .60
.60
.68
37
8
11
346
67
240
120
108
125
Station
Aluminum
Flesh and bones composite

 Cadmium      Copper      Iron
Zinc
209
213
214
27
24
19
< .60
< .60
< .60
7
5
8
52
67
60
79
75
76
station 322 over the values recorded at station 317.   These values decreased
rather sharply at station 325, due to the influence of Woody Creek, which
enters Soda Butte Creek 4 km above station 325.  Although this tributary
was not sampled extensively, one sample taken near its mouth on June 17, 1975,
revealed that it is a typical softwater mountain stream, with major cation
and anion concentrations two to four times lower than those found at site 322.
The flow of Woody Creek throughout the sampling period was roughly equal to
the flow of Soda Butte Creek at their confluence.  Below station 325, water
samples taken at stations 326 and 327 demonstrated that the concentrations
of the major cations gradually increased.  This information is illustrated in
Figure 35, page 91, using calcium and magnesium as typical major cations.

     The major anions demonstrated slightly different concentration patterns
from those of the cations.  As expected, the sulfate concentration jumped
sharply at station 322, and then decreased sharply by station 325, after which
it continued to decrease slowly at the downstream stations.  One notable
exception to this pattern was on July 2, 1975,during the peak runoff, when
the sulfate concentration at station 317 was much higher than at all other
stations.  This information is present in Figure 36, page 92.  The concentra-
tion pattern for total alkalinity (the sum of the carbonate, bicarbonate
and hydroxide components) was very similar to that of the major cations with
one obvious exception; a reduction in concentration, rather than an increase,
occurred below the tailings.  This again was expected, but the amount of re-
duction was less than what normally occurs below most acid-mine wastes.  A
notable exception to this pattern was during the early July runoff (Figure 37,
page 93).
                                      90

-------
    75-1
   60
o
o
o
CD
a


o"
    45
    30
     15
STATION

NUMBER


DATE
j ro 01 o> ^i


 5/19/1975
01 01 01 01 01
  ro ro
  ro 01


    6/17
                                 — ro  ro ro  ro
                                        o>
Ol  Ol Ol Ol
ro  ro ro ro
ro  01 o> ->i


   7/2
                                   01 01 01 ot ot
                                   — ro ro ro ro
                                   --J ro 01 a> -*t
01  01 01  01 01
—  ro ro  ro ro
->)  ro 01   -*i
                                                                        8/4
                                                         8/19
                      9/4
 FIGURE  35
Variations in  calcium plus  magnesium at  each station

during  the  study  period-Soda  Butte  Creek.

-------
     100
     80
 5  60
     40
     20 -
                                                                                                                   I
    STATION
    NUMBER


    DATE
W  W W W  OJ
—  ro f\j ro  ro
-J  ro 01 o>  -^


  5/19/1975
OJ  W W  W W
_  ro ro  rv> ro
^j  ro 01  01 -^
OJ  OJ  OJ  OJ OJ
—  ro  ro  ro ro
-g  ro  01  o> -g
             OJ OJ  OJ  OJ OJ
             — ro  r\>  ro ro
             "^ ro  01  o> ->i
OJ  oj oj OJ oj
—  ro ro ro ro
•^  ro 01 o> ->i
              OJ oj  w 01
              — ro  ro ro
              ->i ro  01 a>
    6/17
7/2
                                                                         8/4
8/19
                                                                                                9/4
FIGURE  36
                       Variations in  sulfate  at  each  station  during

                       the  study period-Soda  Butte  Creek.

-------
                150-1
                120
            o
            o
            o

            3°
10
CO
                   STATION
                   NUMBER

                   DATE
Ol  Ol Ol OJ  Ol
—  ro ro ro  ro
->J  ro 01 i  ro 01 o -^
01  01 01  01 01
—  ro ro  ro ro
-j  ro 01  o) -j
01  01 01 01 01
—  ro ro ro ro
->i  ro 01 01 ->i
    6/17
                                                                       7/2
                       8/4
                      8/19
Ol  Ol Ol
—  ro ro
^j  ro 01


    9/4
Ol  Ol
ro  ro
01  ->i
             FIGURE 37
                     Variations  in  total  alkalinity  at each  station

                     during  the study  period-Soda  Butte Creek.

-------
     Heavy Metals.  Throughout the study period, at all  sampling stations,
iron was by far the dominant heavy metal.   Even at station 322/which is
immediately below the mill tailings, the dissolved concentrations of aluminum,
cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc exceeded 0.1  mg/1  on only one occasion; this
was during the early July runoff, when the concentration of dissolved alumin-
um was 4.55 mg/1 and the concentration of dissolved copper was 0.50 mg/1.   At
stations 325, 325, and 327, the concentrations of these five metals was even
less, never exceeding 0.02 mg/1.  Quite in contrast to the other metals was
the dissolved iron concentration, which was often several orders of magnitude
more concentrated than the other five metals.   Most significantly, at station
322, dissolved iron concentrations were as high as 11.60 mg/1, with values
often occurring within the 3.0 to 6.0 mg/1 range.   Not surprisingly, there
was a very significant decrease in dissolved  iron at stations 325, 326, and
327, with the concentration exceeding 0.1  mg/1 on only two occasions.  In
late summer, iron concentrations at these downstream stations were always
less than 0.02 mg/1 (Figures  38and  39, page   95).

     Stream Sediment Analyses.  The results of the heavy metal determinations
for the fine (0.074 mm sieve) gravels from Soda Butte Creek are presented  in
Table 14.


TABLE 14.  HEAVY METAL ANALYSES OF STREAM GRAVELS, SODA BUTTE CREEK
Station      Aluminum      Cadmium      Copper      Iron      Lead      Zinc
322
325
326
63,780
79,270
79,120
2.6
2.4
1.8
1,060
165
128
134,600
68,750
75,600
141
74
64
249
174
139
     The highest concentrations of precipitated metals were generally found
at station 322, with lower concentrations being found further below the
tailings.  This decrease in concentration is nearly proportional  to the dis-
tance from the tailings.  Exceptions were with aluminum, which was more
concentrated at the downstream stations, and iron, which was more concentrat-
ed at station 326 than at station 325.

     Biological Studies

     Benthic Insects.   The total number of benthic insects was severely
reduced immediately below the tailings  at station 322; the percent of
sensitive orders was also lower than at the control station (317).  By
station 325, the total number of benthics had nearly recovered, although
the percentage of sensitive orders was  still low.  Inside Yellowstone Park
at stations 326 and 327, the benthic insect community had completely recover-
ed, both in the total  and percent sensitive values.  These data are sum-
marized in Table 15, page 96.
                                     94

-------
        I
        o

       0
(0



9



8



7



6







4 -



3 -
                               -S!o. 322
                   6/17  7/02 7/20 8/3* 8/15 8/19 9/04 9/10  9/12  9/14 9/23/1975

     FJGURE  38   Dissolved iron concentrations, Soda Butte  Creek,

     showing  the  frequent  peaks  at Station 322,  which did  not

     occur at  the downstream stations.
        0.3
      O

      £0.2 -i
      c
      a>
      u
      c
      o
      u
        O.I -
                         -Sta. 325
                  6/17 7/02 7/20 8/04 fl/IS  8/19  9/04 9/10 9/12 9/14  9/23/1975


FIGURE 39   Dissolved iron concentrations at  downstream  stations.
                                  95

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TABLE  15. TOTAL AND AVERAGE NUMBER OF BENTHIC INSECTS COLLECTED (per 0 09
          IN  SODA  BUTTE  CREEK.
 Date  Pie  Tri  Epe  Dip  Oth  Tot %Sen

              Station  317
5/19
6/17
7/15
8/04
8/19
9/04
9/14
TOT.

11
0
0
14
24
4
45
90
14.0
20
0
0
0
1
0
4
25
3.6
25
2
7
19
12
15
20
100
14.
8
0
1
3
6
7
12
37
3 5.3
0
0
0
5
3
2
1
11
1.
64
2
8
41
46
28
82
271
6 38.7
88
100
88
80
80
68
84

82
Station 322
5/19
6/17
7/15
8/04
8/19
9/04
9/14
TOT.

0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0.1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0.1
2
1
1
0
2
0
1
7
1.0
0
0
1
0
3
1
1
6
0.9 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.0
3
1
2
0
6
1
2
15
2.1 60
100
100
50

50
0
50


Station 325
5/19
6/17
7/15
8/04
8/19
9/04
9/14
TOT.

2
0
0
0
2
5
10
19
2.7
3
0
2
1
2
6
10
24
3.4
18
3
3
3
10
23
27
87
12.4
0
0
0
0
1
1
81
83
11.9
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0.
25
3
5
4
15
35
128
215
3 30.7
— " i ..,...—
92
100
100
100
93
97
37

60
Pie  Tri  Epe  Dip  Oth  Tot  %Sen

             Station  326
17
0
1
0
4
3
2
27
3.9

4
0
0
26
5
6
41
4
4
0
2
3
2
4
19
2.7

6
15
0
3
1
6
31
37
3
10
14
24
18
31
137
19.

27
8
1
41
14
41
132
6
4
0
1
2
0
1
14
6 2.0
Station
10
7
0
4
2
1
24
0
0
0
0
4
0
2
6
0.9
327
0
1
0
1
0
1
3
64
11
11
17
37
23
40
203
29.0

47
31
1
75
22
55
231
91
64
100
94
84
100
93

90

79
74
100
93
91
96

                                            6.8  5.2  22.0  3.4  0.5  38.5 8£
Pie = Plecoptera (stone flies)
Tri = Tricoptera (mayflies)
Epe = Ephemeroptera (caddis flies)
Dip = Diptera (common flies)
Oth = Other benthic insects
Tot = Total
% Sen = Percent of pollution sensitive (Pie,  Tri,  Epe)  benthics  in  each sample.
                                     96

-------
      Fish Shocking.   On September 19,  1975,  four stream  segments ranging from
 30 to 120 m were shocked in the vicinity of  stations  317,  322,  325, and 326.
 The only station where fish were found was station  326;  three Yellowstone
 cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki)  were  captured,  measuring  11, 27, and 29 cm.
 Several  other fish were stunned at this station  but were not captured due to
 the high stream velocity.   Also, park  rangers  indicated  that sportsmen often
 catch fish in the area of  station 326.

      Bioassays.   Two 96-hour in-situ (caged  fish) and flow-through (aquaria)
 bioassays were conducted concurrently  from August 12  through August 16 and
 again from September 11  through September 15,  1975.   For the in-situ portion,
 cages were placed at stations 317 (control), 322, and 325.  The flow-through
 concentrations ranged from 0 to 100  percent  Soda Butte Creek water, as
 described in the methods section.  In  both the August and  September tests,
 the only fish mortality was in  the cage at station  322.  In August, 100
 percent  of the fish  died,  and in September,  80 percent had died after the
 96-hour  period.   One of the flow-through concentrations  was also 100 percent
 Soda Butte Creek water,  taken from the  creek immediately beside the cage at
 station  322.   This water was transported from  the creek  to the bioassay unit,
 a  distance of 50 m,  through a 13 mm  (inside diameter) polyvinyl  chloride
 (PVC)  pipe,  where a  pump completely  exchanged  the water  in the aquarium ten
 times  per day.   However, no mortality occurred in the aquarium and nearly
 complete mortality occurred in  the creek proper.  If we  look at  the compara-
 tive water quality data  between  the  creek and  aquarium (Table 16,  page 98),
 a  distinct difference exists  in  the  dissolved  iron  concentrations.   In the
 creek, this  parameter ranged  from  3.82  to 6.70^/1, while in the  aquarium
 containing 100 percent  Soda Butte  Creek  water  it ranged from 0.30  to  0.66
 mg/1,  clearly an order  of  magnitude  difference.  No other water  quality
 constituent,  dissolved  or  total,  reflected such an extreme difference.   The
 dissolved iron  apparently  precipitated on all available surfaces,  including
 the  PVC  line  and glass  aquarium,  lowering its concentration to "safe   values
 (at  least for an acute  test)  for  the aquarium fish.

     At  station  322,  during both the  August  and September tests, fish
 mortalities were  recorded  every twelve hours.  At ^ese time  intervals,  the
 total lenaths of  the  dead  fish were also measured to the  nearest mm.   inese
"easirSs  £rSkuUrly  during September when  there was  a w, de vani it ion
 in length  between the test  fish, demonstrated ^at  the larger  fish  survived
 for longer periods in the  highly concentrated dissolved iron water  of
 station  322 (Figure 40, page 99).

     Heavy Metal Analyses of Fjshjjssue. The  metal analyses of the head
skin, and  internal organs  (composite) .subsamples  for the  Soda Butte stations
demonstrated that the iron  concentrations were  at least seven t^s more
concentrated in the fish from station i 322 than  at any  of  ^e oth er  bo da
Butte Creek stations  (Table 17.  page  1O).              flKbJvJ SSs  found
                                                               v     s   oun

          t
and bioassay information, both of which indicated that  iron was tne
of mortality to the fish at station 322.
                                     97

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TABLE 16.  COMPARATIVE WATER QUALITY DATA FROM STATION 322 (in-situ bioassay)
	AND 100% SODA BUTTE CREEK WATER (flow-through bioassay)  (in trig/1).
	Date       8/15	  9/10             9/12            9/14
                        100%           100%             100%             100%
Aluminum - D   0.050  ^0.050  ^0.050    0.050   0.050   ^0.050   0.050  ^0.050
           T   0.050   0.050  ^0.050    0.050   0.050    0.050   0.050   0.050
 Cadmium - D  ^0.001  ^0.001  ^0.001   ^0.001 ^0.001   ^0.001 ^O'.OOl  ^0.001
           T  ^0.001  ^0.001  ^0.001   ^0.001  ^0.001   ^0.001 ^0.001  ^0.001
  Copper - D  ^0.001   0.002   0.004   ^0.001   0.004   ^0.001   0 004 ^0.001
           T   0.011   0.003   0.007    0.003   0.004    0.006   0.004   0.006
     Iron - D   3.820   0.300   6.200    0.630   6.700    0.660   6.400   0.500
           T   6.900   4.380  10.600    6.500  10.500    8.460  10.530  10.000
     Lead - D   0.007   0.003  ^0.002   ^0.002   0.003   ^0 002 ^0 002  ^0.002
           T   0.009   0.003   0.010    0.003   0.004    0.008   0.009   0.004
     Zinc - D  ^0.001  ^0.001   0.017   ^0.001   0.018   ^0 001   0 013  ^0.001
           T   0.004  '0.001   0.039    0.011   0.018    0.012   o'.013   0.010
      Calcium  45.000  45.980  52.000   46.400  52.000   51.740  51.500  51.580
   Magnesium   9.900  10.300  13.400   11.000  13.200   13.020  13.500  12.530
       Sodium   1.300   1.300   1.400    1.400   1.400    1.400   1.400   1.500
   Potassium   1.000   1.100   1.400    1.200   1.300    1.400   1.300   1.300
   Manganese   0.210   0.180   0.320    0.240   0.340    0.310   0.330   0.310
 Bicarbonate  132.000 130.500  131.000  117.360 133.000  131.800 126.800 126.370
      Sulfate  48.000  53.700  80.000   70.000  80.000   77.500  78.300  84.100
Conductivity
      -  umohs  305.700 311.900  271.700  332.700 372.900  367.400 370.500 362.800
          pH   6.010   6.070   6.410    6.480   6.490    6.540   6.240   6.930
   Dissolved
       Oxygen   7.100   6.700   7.300    5.900   6.900    6.800   9.300   7.200
Temperature
	-PC     9.000  10.500  10.000   15.000   7.000   11.000   7.000   7.000
                                     98

-------
vo
               5.5
TEST No.l I007o MORTALITY-A DEAD FISH

TEST No.2 80% MORTALITY - O DEAD FISH

                          - • LIVE FISH
               5.0
             E
             o
               4.5
             UJ
               4.0
                3.5
                3.0
                           12
                    FIGURE 40
                24
36       48       60

       TIME (hrs.)
72
84
96
              Length-mortality relationship  in two, 96-hour  in-situ

              bioassays at station 322, Soda Butte  Creek.

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TABLE 17.  HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN FISH FLESH FROM THE SODA BUTTE/
           MCLAREN MILL SITES (IN ug/g DRY WEIGHT).
August 1975

Station
317
322
325
Bioassay
Head,
Aluminum
141
586
151
tank-
Soda Butte 59

Station
317
322
325
Bioassay

Aluminum
31
64
5
tank-
Soda Butte 25
skin, and internal organs composite
Cadmium
1.19
^.60
^.60

^.60
Flesh and
Cadmium
^.60
z.60
^.60

^.60
Copper
8
73 n
9

10
bones composite
Copper
8
17
10

7
Iron
500
,140
849

585

Iron
168
460
153

167
Zinc
113
134
123

115

Zinc
101
110
103

93
September 1975

Station
317
322
325
Bioassay
Head,
Aluminum
85
52
92
tank-
Soda Butte 62

Station
317
322
325

Aluminum
32
38
51
skin, and internal organs compos itp
Cadmi urn
2.57
.87
.60

^.60
Flesh and
Cadmi urn
^.60'
^.60
^.60
Copper
7
11 5
8

7
bones composite
Copper
5
8
6
Iron
728
,490
632

737

Iron
96
300
180
Zinc
no
112
127

159

Zinc
80
, 108
96
Bioassay tank-
Soda Butte       27
-.60
90
                                                               113
                                     100

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                        Conclusions and Recommendations

 Itillwater - McLaren Mine Area

      It is fortunate that two relatively alkaline streams converge with Daisy
 Creek to form the Stillwater River.  The buffering action of these two streams
 increases the pH and subsequently lowers the dissolved metal concentrations
 in the 0.5 km section of the Stillwater River immediately above station 128.
 At station 128, the pH of the stream is raised to a value that is  almost
 acceptable for a biological community.  However, the total  metal  load
 (originating at the McLaren mine) is still  very high, even  though  the  dissolv-
 ed values are sharply reduced at this station.   Because of  the improvement
 in water quality at station 128, Yellowstone  cutthroat trout are  able to
 survive at this location for at least three days.   Very little suitable
 Physical habitat is available for benthic'insects  since the precipitated
 metals literally concrete the stream bottom.   Without chronic bioassay data,
 which would be nearly impossible to obtain  in this isolated area,  using both
 insects and fish, it is difficult to say what the  long-term effects of the
 metal  concentrations at station 128 might be  on these organisms.

      If we look at reclamation  only from a  fisheries  point  of view, all
 efforts should be made to substantially reduce  the aluminum,  copper, and
 iron  levels in the upper Stillwater River beginning at least  6  km  below
 station 128.   Based on the very slow recovery of benthic  insects at station
 128 and the unsuitable appearance of the  bottom for some  distance  below this
 station,  it would seem that  a 90 percent  reduction in the total load of these
 three  metals  would be  in  order.
      It  should  be  noted  that  a  very  steep stream gradient exists
 2.5 km below  station  128.  This presents a formidable physical barrier to the
 upstream migration  of fish.   This barrier, along with the deep snow pack,
 severe cold and low streamflows, occurring every winter .in the vicinity of
 the sampling  stations, has very likely prevented the existence of a native
 trout population in the  upper 9 km section of the St llwater.  The furthest
 natural .upstream point  for the native trout population in the r ver is
 probably near the confluence  of Goose Creek, which enters the Stillwater
 roughly  6 km  below  station 128.

 Clarks Fork - Glengary Mine Area

     Heavy metals are much less of a problem in this area  compared to either
 the Stillwater  or Soda Butte  drainages.  The pH and/or lack of alkalinity
 appears  to be the major  problem affecting the aquatic community.   At station
 209 the  trout survived the bioassay without any noticable behavioral changes.
 The bottom substrate was quite untarnished, with the . benthic popuijti on  ess
 drastically reduced over the  control  than was noted in the Stillwater sta-
 tions (compared to  their control station).

     As was true of the Stillwater drainage,  a rapid increase in  stream_
gradient, roughly 1 km below station 209, presented a barrier to  fish migra-
tion.   If only the  Clarks Fork proper is considered to ever have  had a native
                                     101

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trout population, then reclamation efforts  should be  directed  towards  increas-
ing the pH of the darks Fork below Lady of the  Lake  Creek  to  near  7.0,  a
value which is characteristic of this  tributary.

Soda Butte - McLaren Mill  Area

     The benthic insect in-situ bioassay and fish shocking  data  revealed
that the biological  community of Soda  Butte Creek is  significantly  degraded
only above station 325.  Although no fish were collected  at this  station,  it
was quite noticeable that the streambed within the community of  Silver Gate
has been extensively altered.  Most of the  undercut banks,  logs,  and other
physical habitat for fish have been removed.  Area residents claim  that  fish
are caught during certain times of the year above the  town, but  only in
areas which have not been physically altered by  man.

     Soda Butte Creek is much more alkaline than either of  the other two
streams which were studied for this report.  Even at  station 322  the  pH
was consistently near 7.0.  Iron was the most concentrated  dissolved heavy
metal.  In the in-situ bioassays, a total of 90  percent of  the test fish
were killed in dissolved iron concentrations ranging  from 2 0  to  6  0 mq/1
No fish mortality occurred in the flow-through bioassay,  where the'dissolved
iron concentration ranged from 0.3 to  0.7 mg/1.   A standard method  for
establishing safe concentrations of certain dissolved  metals from bioassay
data is to multiply,the 96-hour median tolerance limit by 0.1.   The median
tolerance limit is that concentration  at which 50 percent of the  test
organisms survive.  Using the two extreme bioassay results, we can  estimate
that 50 percent of the fish would have survived  at an  averaqe  of  the two
test concentrations, roughly 2.0 mg/1.  Multiplying this  value by 0.1  we get
?;Lr7 Tho~*n~e ™nc<:ntrflon *or long-term exposure of  juvenile cutthroat
trout.  Therefore, to significantly reduce  the degraded conditions  between
station 322 and 325 and to enhance the biological  commluy e ow station  325,
the dissolved iron concentration at station 322  should not  exceed 0.2  mg/1
at anytime.                                                           3
                                     102

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                                   SECTION 6

                           RECLAMATION ALTERNATIVES


                               McLaren Mine Area

      The sources of the pollutants at the McLaren mine site are:  (1) run-
 off water during snowmelt and rainfall periods that flush acidity, heavy
 metals, etc., from the mine waste dump surface.  These pollutants form as
 a result of weathering of pyritic materials, and (2) water that infiltrated
 into and percolated through the mine waste to resurface as seeps downgradient
 from the disturbed area.  As the water passes through the mine waste, its
 concentration of heavy metals and acid significantly increases.  Runoff
 water probably produces 70 to 80 percent of the annual pollution load.
 However, the highest concentration of acidity and metals occurs during  low
 flow periods, a critical time for aquatic life, when almost all of the
 flow is from groundwater sources.

      There are several solutions to  the  runoff problem:   (1)  reduce the
 amount of water crossing the mine waste  by diverting all  outside sources
 away and by reducing snow buildup on the mine site,  (2)  prevent contact
 between surface runoff and the mine  waste by means of a  barrier,  and  (3)
 prevent the weathering and erosion of the mine waste.

      The diversion  of water  around the mine  area  would require  a  drainage
 ditch above the highwall  (Figure 41,  page 104).   With  a minimum amount of
 dozer work,  one of  the roads  above the highwall could  be  used for this
 purpose.   The  seep  at  site 101  and any others  at  the  base of the highwall
 should  be  diverted  across  the mine waste,  discharging  below the mine area
 into  a  lined channel.   Thus,  this  water would  not have an opportunity to
 infiltrate  the mine waste  or  pick  up  pollutants as it  passed across the
 waste.   The ditch should be sealed with bentonite and  lined with coarse
 gravel  to  prevent erosion.

      To  prevent the contact of surface water with the mine waste and to
 prevent  further weathering and erosion of the mine waste, the waste should
 be covered with a soil-like material  that does not contain pynte and
 other acid- and heavy metal-producing materials.  Since vegetation is  very
 difficult to establish at the higher elevations and extreme environment of
 the mine site, an analysis was made of the material  within the mine area
 to locate materials suitable as cover.

     As noted  in Table 18, page 105,  samples were analyzed for pH and  per-
cent sulfur   Six different methods were  used to determine lime requirements
 (LR) to neutralize the acid.   The highest values for LR were obtained  by the

                                    103

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                                                                                 A Water Sample Site
                                                                                     sturbed Area
                                                                                        or Stream
FIGURE  41
Proposed McLaren mine reclamation plan.

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percent sulfur method.  This method assumes that the sulfur, probably as
pyrite, will be oxidized to produce acid.  This value is the more conserva-
tive.  The neutralization potential measures the readily available acid,
as would the four-clay incubation method.  Further research is needed to
determine the best method.

     The results of the analysis show that the samples of mine waste (AU-1,
AU-2, AU-3, AU-4, and AU-5) had low pH's, high levels of sulfur, and large
lime requirements for soil (neutralization.  Only the 0-3 m samples at AU-3
had favorable properties.   In general, all of this material  should be
buried with approximately 0.3 m of good material.   It appears that cover


   TABLE 18.   CHARACTERISTICS OF MINE WASTE MATERIALS AT McLAREN MINE SITj_


                                       Lime requirements
                                    Metric tons  per_hectare
Si tea
no.
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU2
AU2
AU3
AU3
AU4
AU4
AU5
AU5
AU6
AU6
own 2
owns
Depth
(m)
0-1.3
1.3-4.5
4.5-5.1
0-4.5
4.5-6.3
0-3
3-6
0-2.1
2.1-3
0-3
3-7.5
0-3
3-4.5
0-0.5
0-0.5
pH
2.4
2.8
2.6
2.6
3.0
5.8
3.1
2.3
2.5
2.2
2.5
2.4
2.9
4.4
4.2
From6
% S
28
15
17
21
41
23
18
75
115
18
18
72
103
6.5
6.5
Neut.c
Doten.
3.8
3.2
2.9
1.4
4.3
-10
3.8
3.7
3.0
2.4
1.7
2.9
1.8
1.6
0.7
Woodruffd
2.9
2.7
2.7
2.3
2.2
0
2.7
3.2
2.8
2.9
2,5
2.7
2.3
--
_ —
SMPe
9.2
8.4
8.4
7.4
6.8
1.9
7.9
9.7
8.4
8.7
7.6
8.9
7.T
	
— —
5-minf
incub.
5.5
5.5
5.5
3.9
4.5
0
6.3
6.3
6.1
4.5
4.3
5.6
3.3
— —
mm mm
4 -day 9
incub.
-h
--
4.3
3.0
3.0
--
4.6
5.0
--
--
--
4.8
—
— —
"
    a See Figure 41, page 104; AU = auger hole, OW = observation well
    b Lime requirements determined from percent sulfur as measured  by
      Leco Induction Furnace times 31.25.  Gives the acidity that sulfur
      would produce                    .                      ,__.    .
    c Neutralization potential.   Determined by Smith et al., 1974.   A
    . negative value indicates alkalinity
    d Woodruff method commonly used for agricultural  soils  _
    6 SMP method.   Council  on Soil  Testing  and Plant Analysis, 1974
    f Five-minute  incubation with heat.   Abruna and Vincente, 1955
    9 Four-day incubation with heat.   Dunn,  1943
    h Dash indicates test not conducted on  the sample
                                   105

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material is available on the east and west end of the disturbed area
(represented by sites OW 112 and 115),  Approximately 24,000 m3 would be
required.  Further surveys and soil  tests would have to conducted to deter-
mine the amount and exact location of suitable cover material.

     It would be necessary to grade  the surface of the mine area to eliminate
the depression, facilitate runoff, and minimize infiltration (Figure 41,
page 104).  Shaping should be performed before covering with a  growth-
supporting medium.  Ultimate stabilization of the area would be with
vegetation.  Johnston et al, (1975)  of the U.S. Forest Service  have con-
ducted research on revegetation at this site.  Their recommendation is that
organic material be incorporated into the top 15 cm of the surface layer,
that lime be applied to raise the pH to levels tolerable to plants (from
1.8 T/ha to 3.6 T/ha of lime, based  on OW 112 and 115), and that fertilizer
be applied at the equivalent rate of 111 kg N/ha.  The area should be
planted with native seed at the rate of 56 kg/ha.  The native transplant
material could be obtained near the  McLaren site.  This collection would
require a sizeable commitment of manpower, and would probably require two
seed harvesting years.  Graded and "top soiled" areas not planted the first
year would have to be  protected with  a mulch. In addition, straw  mulch
either crimped or tacked down with asphalt emulsion would be required to
provide a favorable microclimate for the seed and young plants.  A
maintenance program to reseed areas  that did not develop satisfactory
vegetation would be needed for a few years following initial seeding.  The
total cost of reclamation at the McLaren mine site is estimated to be
$292,100  (Table 19, page 107).

     Other alternative control methods such as covering with plastic or
other impermeable materials, and soil sealing with chemicals would not be
a permanent solution to the problem.

     The effectiveness of the proposed reclamation is difficult to estimate,
since the exact source of the acid,  heavy metals, etc., has not been pin-
pointed, especially during the critical snowmelt period.  During construction
an increase in sediment and other pollutants may occur if a severe storm
occurs.  However, since the area is  small, grading and "soil" covering
should take place rather rapidly.  Areas not planted the first  year would
be protected with mulch.

     If it is assumed that the grading and "soil covering" is effective in
increasing runoff, decreasing infiltration, and minimizing mine waste/water
contact, then a 90 percent improvement in water quality at site 109 could
result during the runoff period.  The runoff should increase by 25 percent.
The total acid load during the runoff period in 1975 was 128 000 kg  and
a 90 percent reduction would result  in a remaining 12,800 kg of acid load.
The groundwater yielded an acid load of 26,800 kg in water year 1975  and
a 25 percent reduction would result in a remaining load of 19 900 kg
The total load was 154,800 kg, and after reclamation the load'would be
reduced to 32,700 kg or a decrease of 79 percent.  A similar decrease in
other water quality parameters could be expected.
                                     106

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              TABLE 19.  COST OF  RECLAMATION AT McLAREN MINE SITE
 Item
                                Quantity
                                                  Unit price     Total price
 Grading
    Tailings material
    Cover material

 Diversion ditch along highwall
    Bentonite seal
    Excavation

 Drainage ditch for seeps
    Bentonite
    Gravel

 Revegetation
    Collection and treatment
     of seed
    Fertilizer
    Lime
    Planting
    Mulch
    Maintenance

 Engineering
    Soil samples,  surveys,
    construction inspection, etc.

 Indirect cost
                                20,600 m3
                                29,000 m3
                                 4,500 k
                                   640 m
                                 1,450 kc
                                    23 m;
                                                  $3.30/m3
                                                   3.30/m3
                                                   0.22/kc
                                                   3.30/m^
                                                   0.22/kc
                                                  13.00/m-:
385 kg
770 kg
24.8 T
6.9 ha.
3.1xl04kg
1 Job
44.16/kg
0.55/kg
286.70/T
1 ,450/ha
0.32/kg
5,000/Job
                                                   TOTAL
$68,000
 95,000
  1,000
  2,000
   300
   300
                                                                   17,000
                                                                     400
                                                                    7,100
                                                                   10,000
                                                                   10,000
                                                                    5,000
                                                                  50,000

                                                                  26,000

                                                                $292.100
                            filpngary Mine Area

     The major  sources of the pollutants in the Fisher Creek ^ainage at
the Glengary mine site are:   (1) the mine adits, and &>£* runoft wate
rs-js  ffl ^^.rHT
some of the  load settled out between the sources and site
     Several alternative solutions to the adit P"bl«    t
inflow of water into the mine should be sealed off.  As noted
         waer  n
Page 16   annrnv-imatPlv 58 percent of the inflow  (i
high 1nfl??£?1on periods)Penters the mine through
                                                             Flre
                                                             Figure
                                                .
                                              (it may be nigner curing
                                                the two risers.  These
                                   107

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risers extend to the surface at the disturbed areas below the Scotch Bonnet
Mines.  By proper grading and compaction around the risers and the waste
areas, runoff could be increased and infiltration decreased to significantly
reduce the flow from the adit.   Sealing of the risers would also help to pre-
vent surface water from entering the mine adit.  In addition to sealing the
risers, the adits could be sealed with an air or bulkhead seal.  An air seal
would prevent air from entering the tunnel but allow water to exit (Figure 42,
page 109).  Since pyrite is a major source of the acid, the lack of air in
the tunnel should result in a reduction in the oxidation of pyrite within
the mine.  An air seal would be a wall constructed of concrete bricks and
would not be an impossible barrier to remove if the mine were to be opened
at a future date.  Because of the limited entries into this mine, the
deep cover, and small size of the tunnel system, this method might be
effective in this situation.  An air seal would have to be constructed at
each of the two adits into the mine.

     A bulkhead seal would be composed of an impermeable plug in each of the
mine adits that would prevent water from discharging from the mine
(Figure 43, page 109) and ultimately cause flooding of the works.  The
submerged condition would prevent pyrite oxidation and acid formation.  The
relatively level nature of this tunnel, with low heads, great amounts of
overburden, and a thick outcrop, makes it appear that a bulkhead seal would
be physically feasible.  Further investigations regarding the tunnel,
geology, and rock strength would be required before the exact location and
size of the bulkhead could be determined.  Sealing of the adits with a
bulkhead would probably be opposed by the mine owners because of the
permanent nature of the seal and the mineral value still in the mine.

     The acid contribution from the mine waste could be controlled by
grading the wastes and dumps to facilitate runoff (Figure 44, page 110) and
by covering them with a soil-like material.  The graded areas should have
lime and fertilizer applied, be seeded with native vegetation, and have
mulch added.  A revegetation program similar to that proposed for the
McLaren mine should be used.  As noted in Table 20, page 111, suitable top-
soil material is available in the upper Glengary area.  The mine waste near
the adit should be graded and covered with soil cover material obtained
from the upper area.  The lower waste could be hauled to the upper waste
area and buried with the waste material at that site.  However, this
alternative of hauling the lower waste material is not deemed feasible
because of the poor hauling road, steepness of the road, and the large
volume of waste material to be moved.  The total costs for reclamation of
the Glengary mine site are estimated in Table 21, page 112.

     The effectiveness of the above procedures may be estimated in the
following way:

     1.  The total acid load from the mine (site 205) is 13,400 kg per year.
An air seal would reduce the acid load by 40 to 70 percent.  If a 66.7
percent reduction in load is assumed, the air seal reduces the acid load
by 8,900 kg per year.  A bulkhead seal would reduce the acid load by 80 to
100 percent.  If we assume a 95 percent reduction, the bulkhead seal would
reduce the acid load by 12,700 kg per year.

                                      108

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 FIGURE 42
           OPENING
           IN WALL


   Cross section of air seal.
ORIGINAL
GROUND
SURFACE
                                                      i I) '/' ii)/« '(if
FIGURE 43
                                     CONCRETE WALL
Cross section of bulkhead seal.
                               109

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  A Water Sample Site
  CH?Disturbed Area
     Creek  or Stream
     Soil Sample  Site
     CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE
         IN FEET M S L
FIGURE 44
Proposed Glengary  mine reclamation  plan

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   TABLE 20.  CHARACTERISTICS OF MINE WASTE MATERIALS AT 6LENGARY MINE SITE
                                             Lime requirements9
                                          Metric tons per hectare
Siteb
no.
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU1
AU1
UNO
UNO
UNO
UNO
DUMP
DUMP
DUMP
Depth
(m)
0-1.5
1.5-3
3-4.5
4.5-6
6-7.5
7.5-9
9-10.5
10.5-12
12-13.5
0-0.5
0.5-1
1-2
2-2.5
0-0.5
1.5-1.8
2.4-2.7

pH
2.8
3.1
3.2
3.9
3.6
4.1
3.9
3.7
3.7
5.1
5.0
5.6
4.1
2.8
3.1
3.3
From
% S
28
15
104
305
167
281
363
362
200
1.4
1.4
1.4
8.4
74.5
29.6
14.0
Neut.c
poten.
-3.1
-2.1
-2.8
-1.8
-1.7
0
0.7
0.5
1.2
1.2
0.4
0.4
0.5
-3.3
-2.2
-1.6

Woodruff
2.7
2.7
2.3
1.8
__d
__
__
__
—
0.5
0
0
0.7
2.8
2.5
2.9

SMP
7.6
1.6
6.3
5.0

__
__
__
—
3.8
1.9
1.9
5.0
7.9
6.8
7.9
5-min
incub.
4.9
4.5
4.0
3.0

__
__
__
—
1.6
__
__
1.7
4.8
3.6
4.6
       Methods used for determining lime requirements  are  the  same  as  those
       described in Table 18, page 105-   The four-day  incubation  test  was
     .  not conducted on the above samples.
       See Figure 44, page 110;  AU = auger  hole,  UND = undisturbed  soil,
       DUMP = dump material.
     c Negative value means alkalinity.
     d Dash indicates sample not tested.
     2.   The total  acid load from the upper Glengary mine  area  (load  at
site 207 minus load at site 205)  during the snowmelt period  is  14,700 kg.
If we assume a 90 percent reduction in acid load from grading and  covering
the mine wastes, the load reduction is 13,200 kg.

     If an air seal is constructed in the mine adit  and  the  mine wastes  are
graded and covered, we could expect an acid load of  5,900  kg, a 79 percent
reduction of the load at site 207.  If a bulk seal is installed in the mine
and the mine wastes are graded and covered, the acid load  at site  207 would
                                     111

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be 2,100 kg, a reduction of 93 percent.
quality parameters could be expected.
A similar decrease in other water
             TABLE 21.  COST OF RECLAMATION AT GLENGARY MINE SITE
Item Quantity
Infiltration control
Grading
Upper dump 9,300 m3
Lower dump 4,500 m3
Revegetation
Collection of seed 175 kg
Fertilizer 350 kg
Lime 11.2 T
Planting 3.1 ha
Mulch 1.4xl04kg
Maintenance 1 Job
Engineering
Soil samples, surveys,
construction inspection, etc.
Indirect Cost

Mine sealing
Air seal
Clean two adits
Construct two seals
Engineering
Indirect cost

Bulkhead seal
Clean two adits
Construction of two seals
Grouting
Engineering
Geologic investigation, borings,
construction inspection, plans, etc.
Indirect cost

Unit price


$3.30/m3
3.30/m3

44.16/kg
0.55/kg
286. 7/T
1 ,450/ha
0.32/kg
2,000/Job




TOTAL






TOTAL








TOTAL
Total or ice


$30,700
14,900

7,700
200
3,200
4,500
4,500
2,000


$20,000
8,000
$95,700


$ 4,000
10,000
2,000
2,000
$18,000

$ 4,000
10,000
10,000
25,000


5,000
$54,000
                                      112

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                               McLaren Mill  Area

      The source of pollution at the McLaren mill area is the mill  tailings
 pile.  Water entering the tailings  material from Soda Butte Creek, from rain
 and snowmelt on the tailings, and from runoff from the drainage above the
 pile passes through the tailings and discharges into Soda Butte Creek, thus
 polluting Soda Butte Creek below the tailings pile.  The following alterna-
 tives are available to reduce the pollutant loads that enter Soda  Butte
 Creek:  (1) mill  tailings removal,  (2)  effluent treatment, and (3) infil-
 tration control.

 Mill Tailings Removal

      One alternative for reducing the  pollution to Soda Butte Creek is_to
 remove the tailings material.   The  actual removal  would involve stripping
 the existing topsoil material  from  the  tailings pile, stock-piling the top-
 soil, and using it  for revegetation  once the tailings material  is  removed.
 Removal  of the tailings should  be conducted in such a way as to prevent
 the tailings material  from being washed into Soda  Butte Creek.   This  may be
 accomplished by starting  excavation  on  the west (downstream) side  of  the
 dump and excavating to the east.  Also, Soda Butte Creek should be isolated
 from the dump by  piping the flows around the dump  during excavation.   A
 small  dam should  be built  below the  tailings to catch and treat sediment
 and polluted flows  from the tailings during excavation.   Once  all  of  the
 tailings material is removed, Soda Butte Creek should be rechanneled  back
 to  its  location before  tailings were placed in the  channel.  The topsoil
 should  be replaced  on  the  disturbed area, fertilized, and planted with
 grass  seed  suitable for the  area.  Figure 45,  page  114,  is a cross section
 of  Soda  Butte CreeJ< before  and after removal of the mill  tailings pile.

      While  considering  removal of the mill  dump, we must  examine what will  be
 done  with the tailings  material.  One possibility is  to  haul the material
 to  a  smelter,  concentrate the tailings, and  recover the minerals still  eft
 in  the tailings.  Total value of the minerals  is estimated at $4,747 m  lion
 (March 1977  prices).  The nearest smelter which could recover the metals
 is  located  at  East  Helena, Montana,  500 km from Cooke City.  It was assumed
 for this  alternative that the cost  of concentrating and recovering the
 metals would  be offset by the sale  of minerals re"^f:™^0^ ofsince

            SIKH krtf ^

                 'S^^^^^
 the railroad near Belfry, Montana.

     Another oossibility for this alternative is to relocate the tailings at
 another*  te  n   e  Jootlity area.  An ideal site for the new tailings
 Pile should have the following characteristics: /J  *eJ'^VaV
than 8 km from present  sites, (2) be  located on a rise «£ sunmitwd

                                           i la   ,        c       a.
                                    113

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               EXISTING SODA
               BUTTE CREEK
                                 TAILINGS MA E RlA L
                                                     ORIGINAL
                                                     GROUND
                                                      SURFACE
                                                               SODA  BUTTE CREEK
                                                               AFTER THE MILL
                                                               DUMP  IS REMOVED
FIGURE  45
Cross section of McLaren mill pile and
Soda Butte Creek before and after
tailings  removal.

-------
 new tailings pile will have to be determined once the exact location for the
 new pile is located; however, the pile will probably be conical  in shape and
 require approximately 2.5 ha of land.  During construction of the new dump,
 the tailings should be compacted to maximum density.   After construction,
 the pile should be covered with 0.5 m of topsoil, have fertilizer added,
 and be seeded with grass suitable for the area.

      A third possibility for disposal of the mill  tailings material  would be
 to  bury it  at an underground disposal site such  as an  old  mine    If  a mine
 or  several  mines were found that had enough volume for the tailings, they
 could be dumped into vertical  shafts or sluiced  into horizontal tunnels.

      The cost of removing the mill  tailings is given in Table 22.
               TABLE 22.   COST OF REMOVING  McLAREN MILL TAILINGS
Excavation site
  Topsoil
    Removal and  replacement
  Tailings excavation
  Sediment dam
  Treatment during construction
    (lime)
  Soda Butte rerouting pipe
    (61 cm diam.)
  Fertilizer and seeding
  Engineering and indirect cost
 25,000 m3
 87,000 mj
    750 m3

     3.5 T

    300 m
     4.0 ha
 $  6.50/m3
    0.75/m3
    6.50/m3

  286.70/T

   39.80/m
1,750/ha
                                                      TOTAL
                                                                  Total price
             $162,500
               65,300
                4,900

                1,000

               11,950
                7,000
               50.000.

             $302,650
Disposal site
  Smelting
    Haul - 500 km
  New site
    Topsoil
      Remove and replace
    Haul - 8 km
    Compaction
    Fertilizer and seed
    Engineering and indirect cost
  Underground disposal
    Haul  -  8 km
    Engineering and indirect cost
87,000 nr


 7,700 m3
87,000 m3
87,000 md
     2.5 ha
87,000 mc
    0.07/m3km $3,045,000
    6.50/m3
    0.07/rT km
    0.13/m3
1,750/ha
                                                      TOTAL
              50,000
              48,700
              11,300
               4,400
              25.000

            $139,400
                  48,700
                  20,000
0.07/nrkrn


TOTAL        $68,700
                                     115

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     Removing the mine tailings at Cooke City would result in a 100 percent
reduction in pollutant load in Soda Butte Creek from the tailings pile.   The
complete reduction would probably not be realized until  several years after
removal since some polluted groundwater would have to drain from the area
that surrounded the tailings pile.  It would also take several  years for
Soda Butte Creek to stabilize once it is rerouted back to its old channel,
now beneath the tailings pile.

     The AMD problem at Cooke City would be solved if the tailings pile  is
removed, but the potential  for AMD may exist at sites where the pile would
be relocated.  If the tailings are sent to a smelter, the potential for
pollution problems exists at the smelter waste site; however, it is hoped
that those sites would not create environmental problems.  The alternative
of relocating the tailings to another site could create AMD problems at  that
site.  As noted in the characteristics of an ideal site for the new tailings
pile, care must be taken in selecting a site that is essentially isolated
from any groundwater or surface water that may infiltrate the tailings
material.  If the pile is properly compacted and located at an ideal site,
AMD from the new tailings pile should be zero.  The last alternative
dumping the tailings in old mines, also has the potential for creating
pollution problems.  Care must be taken once the mine has been filled with
tailings so that all AMD from the mines is treated or the mines are sealed.
These problems can only be solved once the mines to be filled are selected
and analyzed for AMD potential.

Effluent Treatment

<     The second alternative for reducing the AMD at the McLaren mill area
is to treat the effluent from the tailings pile.  Basically this would be
accomplished by installing a dike below the tailings pile to collect all  of
the seeps, treating this polluted water, and building a dam below the dike
to be used as a settling pond for the treated water.  The location of the
dike, treating plant, and settling pond are shown in Figure 46, page 117.
Treatment of the Affluent from the tailings pile should be with a typical
lime^neutralization process using hydrated lime.  A schematic diagram of

ILiIe£Tt-pla!!VS Shown.1n Fi?Ure 47' page 118'  The treatment plant
should be designed for a maximum flow of 28 Ips.  Based upon an acidity
value of 150 mg/1  at maximum flows, the maximum lime requirement is about
340 kg per day.  For low flows, such as 2.8 Ips, the lime requirements
are 34 kg per day.  Flows greater than 28 Ips, which would occur rarely,
would be passed by the lime treatment plant.  The amount of lime added to
the effluent would be controlled by a device measuring the flow of
water passing through the treatment plant.  Once the lime has been added
to the effluent, it would flow by gravity over baffles to induce mixing
and aeration and into the settling pond.  The settling pond should retain
the treated effluent for no less than 12 hours, and then flow by gravity
to Soda Butte Creek.  The settling pond would be 7,000 m3 in size and
would need cleaning approximately once every 50 years.  Soda Butte Creek
would have to be lined with riprap next to the settling pond dam to prevent
erosion of the dam.  The estimated cost of treating the effluent is
itemized in Table 23, page 119.
                                     116

-------
FIGURE 46
Proposed location  of  treatment  plant and settling pond
at McLaren mill area.

-------
        X"
TAILINGS
  PILE
                               LIME
00
                                                                        SODA BUTTE  CREEK
      FIGURE 47
                   Proposed lime neutralization process at
                   McLaren mill area.

-------
       TABLE 23,   COST OF TREATING EFFLUENT  FROM McLAREN MILL  TAILINGS
Item
Collection dam and dike
Riprap
Treatment plant
Engineering and indirect cost

Quantity
4,600 m3
100 m3
1


Unit price
$ 3.30/m3
130/m3
250,000 each

TOTAL
Total price
$151,800
1,300
250,000
80,000

$483,100
 Annual  cost
   Lime
   Maintenance (wages, electric)
50 T
 1 Job
$268.70/T
   1  Job
S 14,300
  15.000


  29,300
     By treating the effluent from the tailings  pile with lime,  we  could
expect a reduction in pollutant load of 80 to  90 percent.  If the total
annual iron load from the  tailings pile (sites 320 and 321) is 35,680  kg of
iron, an 80 percent reduction would reduce the Tron load to 7,140 kg per year.

     The physical  feasibility of operating a lime treatment plant below the
tailings pile is very limited.  The great snow depths and very cold weather
characteristic of the area would limit access  to and operation of the  treat-
ment plant.  Cold weather  in the winter months would probably freeze any
baffles and weirs  at the treatment plant, as well as freezing the collection
and settling ponds.

infiltration Control

     The last alternative for controlling the  AMD from the McLaren mill dump
is to control  the  inflow into and out of the tailings pile.   ™is can be
accomplished by re-sealing the dam on the lower end of the tailings P J* a™
rechannellng Soda  Butte Creek.  The dm at the lower end  of the tailings pile
would have to be resealed with a layer of ™P/710U* J^T?! an?SSrvlius
page 120).   The impervious seal  should extend  from bedrock or an ™PeJJlous
horizontal  zone up to the top of the dam at elevation 2,329  m.  The dam
should extend from the north side of Soda Butte Creek,  aero  s  Soda Butte
Creek, and across  the face of the tailings  pi  e to the  spil  way on the  south
side of the tailings  pile (Figure 49,  page  12  )•  J^.eJ's*  "?J°:?th

                       -tfJBr?£LS^r1     '    ss*

                       ^
                                    119

-------
                                                   TOP OF DAM-
                                                        TAILINGS .  ,
                                                        MATERIAL:^0-'
  EXISTING GROUND
      SURFACE
                                   ELEV 2320m  OR BEDROCK
FIGURE 48
Cross section of  proposed  dam,at
McLaren  mill  tailings pile.
                                 120

-------
                                                                          CONTOUR ELEVATIONS ARE IN FEET H 5 L
FIGURE 49
Proposed location of new dam and Soda Butte
Creek channel at the McLaren mill area.

-------
existing Soda Butte Creek.   The new channel  would intercept  Soda  Butte Creek
15 m above the tailings pile and carry Soda  Butte Creek flows  to  the north
end of the new dam.  The new channel  would have a 6.1  m bottom, 2:1  side
slopes, 2.5 m top width dike along the south edge of the new channel, and
have a slope of 0.002 m/m.   A spillway in the dike at  the upper end  of the
tailings pile would allow flows greater than the 100-year flood to spill from
the new Soda Butte Creek channel, across the mill dump to the  spillway on the
west end of the dump, and eventually into Soda Butte Creek.  The  new channel
should be lined with bentonite.  At the end  of the new Soda  Butte Creek
channel, at the north end of the new dam, a  6.1 m concrete drop structure
would be built to carry Soda Butte Creek flows from the new channel  above the
dam, to the existing channel below the tailings pile.   A drainage ditch would
also have to be built along the south edge of the tailings pile to drain run-
off from the hillside away from the mill dump.  An itemized  cost  of this
alternative is presented in Table 24.


     TABLE 24.  COST OF CONTROLLING INFILTRATION INTO THE McLAREN MILL DUMP
Item
Quantity
Unit price   Total price
Fill existing Soda Butte Creek
  channel

New Soda Butte Creek

Bentonite

Dam
  Impervious material
  Drain material
  Cover material

Drainage ditch

Drop structure
  Concrete
  Reinforcing steel
  Riprap
  Excavation
  Backfill
 3,600 m

 3,900 m3

49,000 kg


 3,540 ml
 1,130 m3
 1,130 nr

    45 m3
   109 m
 5,150 kg
    70 m|
   760 ntf
   490 m
$ 3.30/nT    $ 11,900
        3
  3.30/m^

  0.11/kg


  6.60/m3
  3.30/m3
  3.30/m3

  3.30/m3
   780/m'
  1.32/k
 13.00/m
  1.65/m^
  3.30/m3
12,900

 5,400
23,400
 3,700
 3,700

   150
85,000
 6,800
   910
 1,250
 1,600
                                                         TOTAL    $156,710
     The alternative of reducing the effluent from the McLaren tailings pile
 should reduce the pollutant load dumped into Soda Butte Creek by 95 to 100
 percent.   If the new dam is extended down to bedrock or an impervious layer
 beneath the tailings, and effectively seals the downstream face of the pile,
 the  infiltration from the tailings should be completely stopped.
                                      122

-------
                                  REFERENCES

 Abruna, F., and J. Vincente.  1955.  Refinement of a quantitative  method  for
      determining the lime requirements of soils.   J.  Agr.  Univ.  Puerto Rico,
      XXXIX(l): 41-45.

 Carlson, J.  J.  1975.  Reliable mineral  supply for the  future?   Mining
      Cong. J., 61(11):  42-47.

 Council  on Soil  Testing and Plant Analysis.   1974.   Handbook on  Reference
      Methods for Soil Testing.   2400 College  Station  Road, Athens,
      Georgia 30601.

 Dunn, L.  E.   1943.   Lime requirement determination  of soils by means of
      tftratfon curves.   Soil Sci.,  56:341-351.

 Elliott,  J.  E.  1973.   Preliminary  geologic map of  the southwest part of
      the  Cooke City  quadrangle,  Montana.   U.S.G.S.  Open-file report.

 Eyrich,  H. T.   1969.   Economic  geology of  part of the New World mining
      district, Park  County,  Montana.  Ph.D.   Dissertation, Washington
      State University,  Pullman,  Washington.   130 pp.

 Haggard, J.  L.   1975.   Statement of American  Mining Congress on Senate
      Bill  2371.  Mining Cong. J., 61(11):  60-62.

 Higqins  G  L  ,  Jr.   1974.  Progress  report.  Acid mine drainage control;
  "  feasibility siudy! Cooke City,  Montana.  First Annual  Report  Mon ana
      Bureau  of Mines  and  Geology to  Montana Department of Natural Resources
      and Conservation.  27 pp.

 Holmes, A.   1965.  Principles of Physical Geology, 2nd ed.   Ronald  Press,
      New York.   1288 pp.
                   .
                Igi?1»nd Drainage Division, American  Society  of
     Civil Engineering, Logan, Utah.
Knudson, K, and C  *tes   1976   "na,  report:

     Zl o7£h"afn5SG»%ortt &U  Department of Natura! Resources
     and Conservation.   58 pp.
                                     123

-------
Langmuir, D.   1971.   Particle  size  effect  on  the  reaction  goethite-hematite
     and water.   Amer.  J.  Sci.,  271:147-156.

Langmuir, D., and D.  0.  Whittemore.   1971.  Variations  in  the  stability of
     precipitated ferric oxyhydroxides.   In:   Nonequilibrium Systems  in
     Natural  Water Chemistry.  R.  F.  Could,  ed.  American Chemical Society,
     Washington,  D.  C.  pp.  209-234.

Lovering, T.  S.   1929.   The New  World or Cooke City mining district,  Park
     County,  Montana.   U.S.G.S.  Bull.   811-A.   87pp.

Smith, R. M., W.  E.  Grube,  Jr.,  T.  Arkle,  Jr.  and A. Sobek.  1974 (October).
     Mine spoil  potentials  for soil  and water quality.  EPA 670/2-74-070,
     U.S. Environmental  Portection  Agency,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.

Sonderegger,  J.  H.,  J.  J.  Wallace,  Jr., and G.  L.  Higgins, Jr.   1976.  Acid
     mine drainage control:  feasibility study, Cooke City, Montana.
     Montana  Bureau  of Mines and Geology Open-file report  23.   197 pp.

Stumm, W., and J. J.  Morgan.  1970.   Aquatic  Chemistry.  Wiley-Interscience,
     New York.  583  pp.

Truesdell, A. H., and B. F. Jones.   1973.   WATEQ,  A computer program  for
     calculating  chemical  equilibria of natural waters.  U.S.G.S., Water
     Resources Division Report No.  73-007.  NTIS  PB-270-464.

U.S. Department of Interior, Geological  Survey.   1975.  Mineral  resource
     perspective.  Prof. Paper 940.   24 pp.

Wallace, J. J.,  Jr., J.L.  Sonderegger, and G.  L.  Higgins,  Jr.   1975.
     Acid mine drainage control:   feasibility study, Cooke City, Montana.
     Second Annual Report,  Montana  Bureau  of  Mines and  Geology  to Montana
     Department of Natural  Resources and Conservation.  39 pp.

Whittemore, D.O.   1973.   The chemistry and mineralogy of ferric oxyhydroxides
     precipitated in sulfate solutions.   Ph.D.  Dissertation, Pennsylvania
     State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.

Whittemore, D. 0., and D.  Langmuir.   1972.  Standard electrode  potential of
     Fe3+ + e- =  Fe2+ from 5-350C.   J. Chem.  Eng.  Data, 17(3):288-290.

             1974.  Ferric hydroxide microparticles in  water.   Environ.
     Health Perspective,  9:173-176.

    	•  1975.   The solubility  of ferric  oxyhydroxides  in  natural waters.
     Ground Water,  13(4):360-365.
                                     124

-------
                                 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Cooper,  H.  H.,  Jr.,  J.  D.   Bredehoeft,  and I.  S.  Papadopulos.   1967.
      Response of a  finite-diameter well  to an  instantaneous  charge  of  water.
      Water  Resources Res.,  3(1):263-269.

 Ferris,  J,  G.,  and  D.  B.  Knowles.   1954.   The  slug  test  for  estimating
      transmissibility.   U.S.G.S.   Ground  Water Note 26.   7 pp.

 Ferris,  J.  G.,  D. B.  Knowles, R. H.  Brown,  and R. W.  Stallman.   1962.  The
      theory of  aquifer  tests.   U.S.G.S. Water  Supply Paper 1536-E.  174 pp.

 Kennedy, V.  C.,  G. W.  Zellweger, and B. F.  Jones.   1974.  Filter pore-size
      effects  on  the  analysis of Al,  Fe, Mn,  and Ti  in water.  Water
      Resources  Res.  10(4):785-790.

 Swaisgood,  J. R., and G. C. Toland.  1973.   Control  of water in tailings
      structures.  Dames and Moore  Eng. Bull.   41:17-28.

Theis, C. V.  1935.   The relation  between the  lowering of the piezometric
      surface and the rate and duration of discharge of a well using ground-
     water  storage.   Amer.  Geophys. Union Trans., Part 2:519-524.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  1973  (October).  Processes,  procedures,
     and methods to  control  pollution from mining activities.  EPA  430/9-
     73-011, Washington, D.  C.
                                    125

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           APPENDIX A:     CONVERSION FACTORS
                     Metric System
megameter    =
myriameter   =
kilometer*   =
hectometer   =
decameter
meter*       =
decimeter    =
centimeter*  =
millimeter*  =
micrometer   =

*commonly used units
1,000,000
10,000
1,000
100
10
1
.1
.01
.001
.000001
meters
meters
meters
meters
meters
meters
meters
meters
meters
meters

Multiply. . .
miles
yards
feet
inches
inches
kilometers
meters
meters
centimeters
mi 1 1 imeters
Length
By. . .
1.609
.9144
.3048
2.54
25.4
.631
1.094
3.2809
.3937
.03937
                                   To obtain. .  .

                                     kilometers
                                     meters
                                     meters
                                     centimeters
                                     millimeters

                                     miles
                                     yards
                                     feet
                                     inches
                                     inches
                       126

-------
    Multiply.  . .

 square miles
 acres
 acres
 square feet
 square inches

 square miles
 acres

 square kilometers
 square meters
 square meters
 square centimeters
    Multiply.  .

 acre-feet
 acre-feet
 cubic  feet
 cubic  feet
 U.S. gallons

 acre-feet
 cubic  feet
 million gallons

 cubic  meters
 cubic  meters
 liters
 1i ters
   Multiply. .

pounds
tons (short)

kilograms
tons (metire)
       Area

    By.  .  .

       2.59
        .004047
   4,047
        .0929
       6.4516

    640
 43,560

        .3861
        .000247
     10.764
        .155

      Volume

   By. . .

       .001233
  1,233
       .02832
     28.32
      3.785

358,851
      7.48
      3.07

       .00081
     35.3147
       .0353
       .2642

       Mass

   By.  .  .

       .4536
       .9072

     2.2046
     1.1023
   To obtain. . .

 square kilometers
 square kilometers
 square meters
 square meters
 square centimeters

 acres
 square feet

 square miles
 acres
 square feet
 square inches
   To obtain.  .  .

 cubic hectometers
 cubic meters
 cubic meters
 liters
 liters

 U.S.  gallons
 U.S.  gallons
 acre-feet

 acre-feet
 cubic  feet
 cubic  feet
 U.S. gallons
  To obtain.

kilograms
tons (metric)

pounds
tons (short)
                              127

-------
   Multiply.  .  .

gallons per minute
cubic feet per second
cubic feet per second

gallons per minute
cubic feet per second
cubic feet per second
cubic feet per second
cubic feet per second

liters per second
liters per second
cubic meters per second
   Multiply. .  .

feet per second
feet per second
feet per second

feet per second
miles per hour

meters per second
   Flow

By. .  .

   .06309
   .02832
 28.32

   .00223
  1.9835
 40
448.8
724

   .03531
 15.85
 35.31

  Velocity

By. .  .

   .3048
  1.097
 30.48

   .68
  1.4666

  3.2808
  To obtain.  .  .

liters per second
cubic meters  per second
liters per second

cubic feet per second
acre-feet per day
Montana Miners inch
U.S. gallons  per minute
acre-feet per year

cubic feet per second
gallons per minute
cubic feet per second
  To obtain. .  .

meters per second
kilometers per hour
centimeters per second

miles per hour
feet per second

feet per second
                                 128

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                                   TEMPERATURE

  The values  in the body of the  table  give  the equivalent, in degrees Fahrenheit,
  of the temperatures indicated  in  degrees  Centigrade at the top and side.

  °C     0       1       23456789

  100   212.0  213.8  215.6  217.4  219.2   221.0  222.8  224.6  226.4  228.2

   90   194.0  195.8  197.6  199.4  201.2   203.0  204.8  206.6  208.4  210.2

   80   176.0  177.8  179.6  181.4  183.2   185.0  186.8  188.6  190.4  192.2

   70   158.0  159.8  161.6  163.4  165.2   167.0  168.8  170.6  172.4  174.2

   60   140.0  141.8  143.6  145.4  147.2   149.0  150.8,152.6  154.4  156.2

   50   122.0  123.8  125.6  127.4  129.2   131.0  132.8  134.6  136.4  138.2

   40   104.0  105.8  107.6  109.4  111.2   113.0  114.8  116.6  118.4  120.2

   30   86.0  87.8   89.6  91.4   93.2   95.0   96.8   98.6  100.4  102.2

   20   68.0  69.8   71.6   73.4   75.2   77.0   78.8   80.6   82.4   84.2

   10   50.0  51.8   53.6   55.4   57.2   59.0   60.8   62.6   64.4   66.2

   0    32.0   33.8   35.6   37.4   39.2   41.0   42.8   44.6   46.4   48.2

   -0    32.0   30.2   28.4   26.6   24.8   23.0   21.2   19.4   17.6   15.8

 -10    14.0   12.2   10.4    8.6    6.8    5.0    3.2    1.4   -0.4   -2.2

 -20    -4.0   -5.8   -7.6   -9.4  -11.2  -13.0  -14.8  -16.6  -18.4 -20.2

 -30   -22.0  -23.8  -25.6  -27.4  -29.2  -31.0  -32.8  -34.6   -36.4 -38.2

 -40   -40.0  -41.8  -43.6  -45.5  -47.2  -49.0  -50.8  -52.6   -54.4 -56.2

 -50   -58.0  -59.8  -61.6  -63.4  -65.2  -67.0   -68.8   -70.6   -72.4 -74.2

 -60   -76.0  -77.8  -79.6  -81.4  -83.2  -85.0   -86.8   -88.6   -90.4 -92.2

 -70   -94.0  -95.8  -97.6  -99.4 -101.2 -103.0  -104.8  -106.6 -108.4 -110.2

 -80  -112.0 -113.8 -115.6 -117.4 -119.2 -121.0  -122.8  -124.6 -126.4 -128.2

 -90  -130.0 -131.8 -133.6 -135.4 -137.2 -139.0  -140.8  -142.6 -144.4 -146.2

-100  -148.0 -149.9 -151.6 -153.4 -155.2 -157.0  -158.8  -160.6 -162.4 -164.2
                                      129

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                                APPENDIX B

                                CLIMATIC DATA

     The weather station  closest to  the  project  area  is  in  Cooke  City,
Montana, at an altitude of 2,302 m.   Table  B-l summarizes the  monthly
temperature data and Table B-2 summarizes  the monthly precipitation  data.
These data were compiled  from "Climatological Data",  published by the U.S.
Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Environmental Data Service, through  their National  Climatic Center,
Federal Building, Ashville, North  Carolina  28801.
                                     130

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             TABLE B-l.   SUMMARY OF MONTHLY TEMPERATURE DATA AT COOKE CITY, MONTANA (°C)

Year Jan
1967
1968 -10.06
1969 -8.56
1970 -8.44
1971 -8.78
1972 -11.06
1973 -10.94
1974 -10.56
1975 -11.83
1976 -4.00
Ave -9.36
Feb
..
-5.44
-7.94
-5.50
-8.50
-6.94
-6.56
-7.44
-9.72
-8.11
-7.35
Mar
__
-3.00
-7.22
-6.44
-5.89
-2.11
-4.72
-4.94
-6.56
-8.06
-5.44
Apr
„
-2.56
1.89
-4.83
-1.28
-0.17
-2.61
0.61
-3.72
0.00
-1.41
TABLE B-2. SUMMARY OF
Year Jan
1967
1968 45.0
1969 133.6
1970 107.2
1971 115.1
1972 96.5
1973 27.2
1974 68.8
1975 103.9
1976 84.1
Ave 86.8
Feb
_.
53.8
24.9
39.6
66.5
52.3
10.4,
38.1
49.3
83.6
46.5
Mar
__
37.1
12.7
61.2
64.0
75.7
18.0
115.6
50.3
53.9
54.3
Apr
__
17.0
40.4
66.8
43.2
35.3
61.7
24.9
45.5
64.3
44.3
May June
._
3.94 8.67
6.33 7.50
4.44 10.11
5.44 9.56
5.11 10.00
__ —
2.94 10.56
2.50 7.00
5.61 8.22
4.54 8.96
July
._
13.67
12.28
13.33
12.39
11.67
12.89
14.22
14.33
13.83
13.18
MONTHLY PRECIPITATION
May June
..
51.3 97.3
59.7 109.5
61.7 62.2
23.4 30.5
26.2 87.4
—
76.7 69.1
65.5 86.4
28.7 90.9
49.2 79.2
	 J 	 _
July
__
32.3
55.1
60.5
56.4
52.6
27.2
29.0
64.3
33.3
45.6
Aug
„
10.33
14.00
14.33
15.28
12.61
12.94
11.06
10.06
11.44
12.45
DATA AT
Aug
_ _
155.7
17.3
38.9
42.4
40.4
44.2
66.5
41.1
46.2
54.7
Sept
__
7.28
9.61
5.28
5.72
5.67
7.56
8.00
7.44
8.89
7.27
COOKE
Sept
_ _
106.4
47.0
94.0
60.2
118.4
73.7
14.7
26.2
90.2
70.1
Oct
„
2.22
-0.61
-0.06
1.22
2.00
3.44
3.72
1.72
--
1.71
Nov
-4.61
-6.22
-4.67
-3.83
-4.83
-5.61
-4.72
-5.06
-7.31
--
-5.21
Dec
-11.94
-11,11
-8.61
-9.33
-10.67
-12.00
-8.00
-10.94
-7.61
—
-10.02
Ave

0.64
1.17
0.75
0.81
0.76

1.01
-0.31

0.69
CITY, MONTANA (mm)
Oct
_ _
50.8
34.5
30.2
37.3
31.7
14.5
46.7
83.1
--
41.1
Nov
60.5
70.4
67.6
71.9
49.3
28.7
57.4
18.0
78.5
--
55.8
Dec
80.3
46.7
57.9
43.2
66.0
49.5
75.7
47.8
61.7
—
58.8
Ave

763.8
660.1
737.4
654.3
694.7

615.9
755.8

697.4
Dashes indicate data not recorded.
Maximum daily precipitation was 31.8 mm on June 5,  1974.

-------
                                 APPENDIX  C

                          METHODS OF  INVESTIGATION


                                Introduction

     The purpose of this  section is  to  provide  an  adequate  discussion  of the
equipment and methods employed,  so that the  reader can evaluate the
reliability of the data.   This  is particularly  necessary for water quality
sampling and sample handling, as methods and  equipment used are in a state
of continuous change and  improvement.

                           Surface Water^Hydrology

     The 100, 200, and 300 series site  numbers  refer to the McLaren mine
area, the Glengary mine area, and the McLaren mill  site, respectively.
Four weirs, three rectangular weirs  constructed of plywood  and one triangular
weir constructed from boiler plate,  v/ere installed in 1974  at sample sites
109 (Daisy Creek), 207 (Fisher  Creek),  322 (Soda Butte Creek), and 321  (mill
site culvert weir), respectively.  Staff gauges were installed on the  sides
of the plywood weirs to facilitate measuring  the flow during periods of
high runoff.  Stilling wells with recorders  were installed  at the plywood
weirs; however, these wells tended to freeze  up during the  spring runoff in
1975. Consequently many of the  streamflow measurements for  these sites were
obtained by a Gurley (pigmy model) flow meter.   These data  were obtained by
the local employee (Albert Brubaker), who was instructed in the measurement
methods by the DNRC Hydro!ogist, Melvin McBeath.

     Precipitation and temperature data were taken from "Climatological
Data", a monthly publication of the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The
Cooke City weather station is located at an  altitude of 2,302 m.  Ten years
of temperature and precipitation data were available at the close of this
study and are presented in Appendix B.

                            Groundwater Hydrology

     Routine water-level  measurements in wells  at the three research sites
were obtained by the local employee using a  steel  tape graduated in
hundredths of a foot.  Elevations of the wells  were surveyed by plane table
methods from the nearest bench  marks.  Absolute elevation errors are thought
to be less than 0.3 m at the mill site  and less than 3 m at the mine sites.
Relative elevation errors between wells at each site are believed to be less
than 30.5 mm.
                                     132

-------
      Fifteen cased wells installed in the tailings pond study area in 1973
 and 1974 were used to measure water levels and to collect water samples for
 analysis.  Nine cased wells were installed in 1974 at the mine sites, six
 on the McLaren property and three at the Glengary site.  All  of these wells
 were constructed by putting casing within a backhoe-dug hole  and refilling
 the hole.  The basic information about all of the wells is included in
 Appendix G.

                               Geologic Happing

      In the mine areas, mapping was begun on a scale of 25.4  mm =  61  m,  but
 the structural  complexities required scales as large as 25.4  mm =  3 m.   The
 variability of exposures, ranging from 100 percent on open pit faces  to
 zero percent on talus slopes,  and the inability to extend the mapping of small
 features beneath covered areas led  to the abandonment of detailed  mapping.
 Major lithologic units, faults,  and alteration  were mapped from the  south
 end of the  McLaren  mine area  across Fisher Mountain to the upper adit on  the
 west side of Scotch Bonnet  Mountain.   Variations  in grain size and  mafic
 mineral  content of  the  igneous rocks  were noted but were not  thought  to  be
 of sufficient importance to justify delineating the boundaries  of  such
 variations.   No  irrefutable structural evidence was  found  indicating  that the
 diorite  dike  adjacent to the  fel site  breccia  on the  north  end of Fisher
 Mountain  does predate the breccia,  but the  pervasive  alteration  and
 mineralization of the dike  strongly supports  this  interpretation.

                    Water Sample  Collection and Handling

     The  water samples  collected  in areas affected by  sulfide mining are
 frequently  in a  state of disequilibrium.  Metals capable of two or more
 oxidation states may  be  predominantly in  the  lower oxidation  state, owing to
 oxygen depletion resulting  from sulfide ion oxidation.  As the affected
waters interact with  atmospheric  oxygen in wells and mine seeps or as  base-
 flow contribution to  streams, oxidation of the metals  in the  lower valence
 state begins.  Even if the  sample bottles are gas tight, some  additional
oxygen is normally introduced while getting the sample into the collection
bottle.  Consequently, the  unpreserved samples that the laboratory  analyzes
may be altered by the precipitation of metals oxidized to a higher  valence
state.

     The following steps were taken to provide information about transient
species with changing concentrations as a function of sample handling.

     (1}  Conductivity,  pH,  and temperature were measured in the field or
          shortly after collection on a routine basis.

     (2)  Samples from selected sites, for iron and aluminum analyses.
          were routinely sampled four ways:   raw,  raw acidified,  filtered,
          and filtered acidified.   Filtration  was  by positive  pressure
          ?hrnnoh o  45 micron  filters.  Acidification employed the  addition
          If one9 voiume  JSSn!-high-quality (J.  T.  Baker No.  5-9603)  nitric
          acid,  added  from premeasured ampules.


                                    133

-------
     (3)  Specific conductance, pH,  and oxidation-reduction (redox)
          potential  were measured in the field at the time of sampling to
          evaluate the extent of disequilibrium at the time of collection.
          the redox values were repoducible with very little drift or error
          (± 3 millivolts), suggesting that these high-iron systems  are very
          highly poised.

     (4)  "Total" metal  values were  obtained from samples  at selected sites
          to compare with data collected by other agencies.

     Because of the climatic and terrain conditions, some  procedural
problems were encountered.  Winter access to the mine areas is difficult,
snowmobiles being the only efficient means of travel.   The machines  used
had very little cargo space, and one man could not carry both the necessary
number of sample bottles and the necessary meters and filtration apparatus.
Winter tests of the conductivity and pH meters under field conditions by a
two-man team were not satisfactory,  and the practice was abandoned.

     Water samples collected from the wells must be viewed with some
suspicion.  The physical setting and equipment provided by the grantee re-
quired the use of shallow wells.  As water levels declined in the fall, little
water remained in these wells, and the samples collected were turbid.   Part of
this turbidity was undoubtedly due to the precipitation of ferric hydroxide
within the wells.  Some ferric hydroxide of colloidal size undoubtably passed
through the 0.45 micron filters, resulting in slightly higher dissolved iron
values.  Cation-anion balances of both surface water and groundwater samples
were generally good (differences of less than 2.5 percent, but for well
samples containing iron in concentrations greater than 1,000 mg/1, larger
differences occurred.  This is attributed to the standard  practice of cal-
culating iron milliequivalents as Fe3+ when considerable FeOH2+, Fe*+,
Fe(OH)2+, FeS04+, and colloidal Fe(OH)3 must have existed  in solution.

     One of the major problems in designing the collection program was
related to biological questions.  It was known that iron and aluminum in
high concentrations are toxic to fish.  The effect of particle size,  partic-
ularly in the collodial  region, was  not known, and the question:  "What
fraction of the analytically determined iron and aluminum  values are  bio-
logically active?"  was partly responsible for the sample  treatment  pro-
cedures used.  The practice of determining "total" metals  employing  an
acid cook-down procedure was rejected by the Bureau investigators as  not
being relevant to the affected ecosystem.  This makes comparison of  data
collected by Bureau personnel with data from investigators who have  preferred
"total" values somewhat risky, despite the one set of samples collected for
"total" metal values.

     Lastly, surface water samples were collected as grab  samples because
bottles for the depth-integrated sampler (DH-48) did not arrive until the
end of the field season.  The field procedure employed was to collect the
sample approximately one-third of the way across the stream at a position
one-third of the way up from the bottom.  Nevertheless, this collection
method undoubtedly introduced some additional sampling variability into the
suspended sediment collected.

                                     134

-------
                                  APPENDIX  D

                     ACID MINE DRAINAGE  EFFECTS ON STREAMS


                                 Introduction

      Mining activities at Cooke City have  disturbed the natural conditions in
 that:  (1) rock materials that had little  contact with ground and surface
 waters have been disturbed and removed to  land-surface or near-surface
 positions (as spoils and tailings), and (2) the mines themselves act as con-
 duits for the transmission of groundwater.  These activities have not sign-
 ificantly altered the chemical reactions that occur naturally in a mineral-
 ized area but have greatly accelerated the rate of these reactions.   The
 accelerated reaction rate results from the vast increase of surface  area
 exposed to air and water, compared with the undisturbed state.   Removal  of
 soils and overburden associated with the mining has  increased the amount of
 recharge at the expense of the late-spring and early-summer runoff.   Con-
 sequently  a great increase in permeability and in exposed sulfide-mineral
 surface area, combined with a greater volume of near-surface groundwater
 in contact with these sulfide minerals, has resulted in the conditions  at
 the demonstration site.

      Under both natural  and mining-affected conditions, the composition
 and relative  proportions  of the  various minerals  and the chemical  composi-
 tion of infiltrating waters  control  the weathering reactions.   The ore
 bodies  mined  at the  Glengary and  McLaren sites were  replacement deposits,
 principally within the Meagher Formation;  the  major  minerals  in the ore
 zone are  quartz*  kaolinite,  epldote,  chlorite, pyrite,  magnetite, and
 hematite,  accompanied  by  a minor  amount of chalcopyrite and traces of galena,
 sphalerite, and gold (Eyrich,1969).   Pyrite is the,predominate  su fide
 mineral  (Lovering,1929;  Eyrich,1969)  in the ores  mined  at  these  sites..The
 hydrolysis of  pyrite (FeS2)  and the oxidation  of  sulfide and  ferrous iron
 ions  con  rofthe  rate  at which significant  amounts of iron  an   sulfur are
 intoduced  into the waters.   Acidity results from  the oxidation  of both iron
 and  sulfur as  described below.

      The chemical reactions  of major  importance at the  study sites may be
 classified as-   (1)  reactions that increase dissolved metal loads, (Z) re-
 actions that increase acidity, (3) reactions that decrease dissolved metal
 uuuiuilo Una LI  iiii^icaac uv» i u i *j > \  i               TU« unln nf r\v\tnan rnnren—
 loads, and (4)  reactions that decrease acidity.  The role of oxygen concen
 trations in groundwater and  surface water is «» important controlling factor,
which indirectly influences both metal  loads and acidity.
                                    135

-------
     The dissolution  of pyrite,  the  most  abundant sulfide  mineral,  may  be
represented as

     FeS,    + H90 =  Fe 2+ + HS" + OH"  +  S°
        *(s)    *                          (s)                        (5)

for the hydrolysis reaction, and as

     HS" + sVx + H~0 + 7/2 0,    = 2  SO/"  +  3 H+                  (6)
for the oxidation reaction.   At Cooke City,  these two reactions  are es-
sentially coupled because sufficient oxygen  is available in the  shallow
groundwater system to drive  reaction (6)  far to the right.   Consequently,
we see only the result of the combined reaction

     FeS9    + 7/2 0,    + H90 = Fe2+ + 2 SO.2" + 2 H+               (4)
        2(s)        2(g)    2               4

from the chemical analyses of groundwater samples.  The oxygen uptake by
reduced sulfur species and low pH values  that result from reaction (4)
cause the problems of heavy  metals loads  and acidity within the  groundwater
regime.

     When oxygen content or pH increases, especially as the groundwater
reaches the land surface as  springs or seeps, a second group of  chemical
reactions may occur, which reduce the dissolved metal load but increase
the amount of acid released to the water.  The reactions consist of the
oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric iron and the precipitation of the
ferric species as ferric hydroxide.  These reactions may be expressed as

     2 Fe2+ + h 0,    + 2 H+ = 2 Fe3+ + H,0                          (7)
                 29g)                    2
and as

     2 Fe3+ + 6H90 = 2  Fe (OH),    + 6 H+                            (8)
                2             3(s)

or the two equations may be combined (because the oxidation step is rate
limiting) as

     2 Fe2+ + h Oo    + 5 H70 =  2  Fe (OH),    + ^4 H+                   (9)
                 2(g)      2             3(s)

The oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric  iron proceeds -slowly  in this environ-
ment |~the oxidation  rate is proportional to  the  partial pressure of oxygen
times  the hydroxyl ion  activity  squared  (Stumm and Morgan, 1970; p. 534-540)1;
under  these stream conditions,  hydroxyl  activity  is  very low  and colloidal
ferric hydroxide should continue to  form in  the  surface waters.   The ferric
hydroxide first precipitated will  generally  be amorphous.  At
                                      136

-------
 present, data are not available to state whether aging of the precipitates
 from the toe of the mill  site or in the streams results in the formation  of
 the more stable phases goethite (FeO(OH)) or hematite (Fe2OJ.   Ferric
 hydroxide precipitates are very fine grained, and usually contain  an  ap-
 preciable amount of colloidal-size material  (Langmuir and Whittemore,1971).
 This fine-grained precipitate tends to coalesce and form a crust with time,
 but during the spring runoff, the crust is broken up in many  areas and
 dispersed.   The result is that large amounts of ferric iron of relatively
 fine particle size are transported downstream,  mainly as suspended load.  The
 colloidal fraction of this material  should have a very adverse effect upon
 fish inhabiting these reaches of the affected streams.

      As  the  streams flow  from the mining area,  a third group  of chemical
 reactions occur, which slowly raise  the pH of the water.   These are chemical
 weathering  reactions, which consume  hydrogen ions; typical reactions are the
 weathering of sodic plagioclase to form kaolinite

      2NaAlSiQ0Q    + 9H70 + 2H+ = 2Na+ + 4H,SiO,  + Al?Si'05(OH)4        (10)
             j »{s)      f-                    t   t     e.   e.  s     f(s)


 and the  dissolution of limestone (a  common acidity-abatement  technique)

      CaCO,     + H+ = Ca2+ + HCO~~                                     (11)
          3(s)                  3

 By  reactions  such  as these,  the hydrogen ion content  of the water  is
 decreased, and the  total  dissolved solids  increase  downstream.

      The  most significant aspect of  the  above discussion is based  upon the
 fact  (Eyrich,1969;  Levering,1929)  that  pyrite is  the  dominant sulfide
 associated with  mineralization.   In  developing  a  mass-transfer model based
 on  the pyrite content of  the  disturbed  areas, the  limiting factors con-
 sist  of:  (1)  the  volume  of pyrite in  the  spoils  and  tailings; and (2)
 the  rate  at which  pyrite  is oxidized.  The acid contribution to the surface
waters caused by the  pyrite weathering process may be expressed by com-
 bining reactions (4)  and  (9)  as

     FeS9    + 15/4 0,    + 7/2  H?0 = Fe(GH)3   + 2 SO/' + 4 H+      (12)
        2(s)          2(g)         2           '(s)

Thus, for each millimole of pyrite destroyed, four millimoles  of hydrogen
ion are released.
                                    137

-------
                                  Data Base
     Calculations used to determine the percent iron reaching the stream are
based upon equation (4) and performed in the following manner,

     % Fe = (3.44 / r (X - 11.3)  mg/1  S04  ^) x 100               (13)
                             Y mg/1   Fe
                              2-      2+
where 3.44 is the ratio of SO,   to  Fe  ,  expressed in mg/1, produced by
the hydrolysis of pyrite, and 11.3 mg/1 is the average sulfate content of
the three snow samples with complete analyses.
                                     138

-------
                                    TABLE E-l
                   APPENDIX E



WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS DATA—McLAREN MINE AREA AND DAISY CREEK
)ate Flow pH Specific
(Ips) (lab) Conduc-
tance
(/omhos)
Station 101, T. 9 S. , R
7/25/74 0.57 2.77
8/15/74 0.28 2.88
9/16/74 0.03 3.04
Station 102, T.
8/21/73
7/25/74 6.23
8/13/74 1.70
10/15/74 0.57
7/18/75 2.83
8/5/75 1.42
9/5/75 0.28
Station 103, T
8/22/73 0.28
10/15/74 0.57
7/18/75 5.66
8/5/75 2.27
9/5/75 1.13
Station 104, T
8/22/73 2.55
7/25/74 29.2
8/13/74 3.68
9/16/74 0.85
10/15/74 1.22
7/18/75 12.2
8/5/75 5.10
9/5/75 1.13
9 S.,

2.50
2.55
2.63
2.11
2.05
3.28
.95.,
2.30
2.63
2.07
2.02
3.02
. 9 S.
2.41
2.63
2.61
2.63
2.83
2.17
2.01
3.16
Station 105, T. 9 S.
7/25/74 0.28
8/13/74 0.56
9/16/74 0.08
2.89
3.02
3.86
Acidity
(as
CaCOs
mg/1)
Alka-
linity
(as
CaCOs
mg/1)
Sulfate
(mg/1)
Silica
(mg/1)
Iron Iron Aluminum Lead Cooper Zinc Cadmium
Total (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1 )
Calcium Magnesium"
(mg/1) (mg/1)
. 14 E., Sec. 11 CBA
1140.
954.
1020.
, R. 14 E.

2140.
2210.
2680.
2290.
1920.
2000.
R. 14 E.
3120.
3260.
2470.
2410.
2460.
, R. 14 E.
2890.
1840.
2310.
2680.
2530.
1840.
2140.
2370.
, R. 14 E
844.
889.
498.
242.
199.
231.
, Sec. 11

806.
886.
946.
1120.
800.
865.
, Sec. 11
1180.
1520.
1190.
1220.
1200.
, Sec. 11
1120.
569.
879.
921.
839.
674.
977.

. , Sec. 11
173.
208.
111.
0.
0.
0.
CBA

0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
CBD
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
CCB
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
CBA
0.
0.
0.
306.
255.
258.


842.
999.
1130.
1120.
878.
967.

1390.
1850.
1260.
1280.
1360.

1460.
727.
1080.
1270.
1320.
778.
1090.
1370.

. 173.
248.
239.
49.8
52.2
47.1


45.8
64.2
76.4
40.4
51.3
62.3

88.4
96.1
3.43
56.5
71.7

96.7
38.4
70.1
67.7
64.6
34.2
56.1
72.7

31.0
45.8
42.8
— a 43.0
28.6
30.0


240.
300.
284.
318. 326.
238. 246.
268. 273.

318.
312.
285. 303.
286. 286.
280. 284.

191.
101.
194.
178.
no.
124. 118.
167. 154.
172. 174.

21.2
25.0
11.4
14.8 — -- — <._
14.0
14.0

0.02 58.6 4.98 0.05
31.1
37.0
42.0
41.6
36.0
37.2

52.3 0.05 42.'9 3.5 0.04
89.6
59.5
55.6
57.5

80.0 0.08 43.7 3.85 0.04
33.9
61.0
74.0
91.4
47.
67.
88.

10.2
20.0
15.7


—







__





—








—



_.
(continued)

-------
 TABLE E-l  (continued)
Date
Station
8/26/74
Station
8/22/73
7/25/74
8/13/74
9/16/74
10/15/74
Station
8/21/73
7/25/74
8/13/74
9/16/74
10/15/74
11/19/74
7/18/75
8/5/75
9/5/75
Flow
(Ips)
106, T

107, T

6.23
1.98
0.28
0.25
108, T
0.28
0.57
0.14
0.25
0.57
0.11
2.27
0.57
0.28
Station 109, T.
7/25/74 92.6
8/13/74 29.7
9/16/74
T). 15/74
11/19/74
1/23/74
2/19/74
6.51
4.53
2.21
2.27
2.27
oH
(lab)
. 9 S.
2.61
. 9 S.
2.73
2.93
2.90
3.05
3.07
. 9 S.
6.57
8.04
7.10
S.92
4.88
4.64
6.48
6.28
5.83
9 S.
3.32
3.02
3.09
3.16
3.32
3.26
3.25
Specific
Conduc-
tance
(^mhos)
, R. 14 E.,
2260.
, R. 14 E.,
1250.
819.
1050.
1060.
970.
, R. 14 E.,
716.
483.
687.
702.
718.
718.
451.
656.
733.
, R. 14 E.,
560.
963.
1240.
1320.
1270.
1210.
1260.
Acidity
'(as
CaCOa
tng/1)
Sec 11 C8C
478.
Alka-
linity
{as
CaC03
mg/l)

0.
Sulfate
(mg/l )

714.
Silica
(mo/1 )

36.4
Iron
Total
Recov-
erable
(mq/1)

--
Iron
(mq/1 )

116.
Aluminum Lead Copoer Zinc Cadmium Calcium Magnesium
(mq/1) (mq/1) (mq/1) (mq/1) (mq/1) (rag/1) (mq/1)

17.9
Sec. 10 ODD
286.
156.
223.
236.
224.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
390.
191.
322.
360.
362.
55.8
31.1
46.0
42.4
39.0
__
—
--
—
—
29.1
13.7
25.4
16.0
11.0
22.7 0.06 3.87 0.135 0.01
8.9
18.0
21.3
24.1
Sec. 11 CBA

__
—
—
—
—
	
	
--
Sec. 10 DOC
98.3
200.
280.
329.
300.
305.
275.
16.
42.
26.
5.
2.
0.
82.
88.
8.

0..
0.
0.
0.

0.
0.
346.
177.
320.
346.
359.
366.
144.
249.
370.

181.
345.
521.
617.
634.
639.
573.
104.
10.9
14.9
14.6
15.9
15.7
9.6
11.1
14.6

14.5
25.8
30.8
32. <»
31.3
29.9
27.8

—
—



8.30
14.2
35.4

	
—
--
—
—
—
—
31.0
9.7
31.4
35.3
40.0
42.2
2.28
1.96
36.

7.0
25.5
32.2
28.0
32.2
34.6
33.
0.42 <0.02 <0.02 <0.05 <0.01
o.i - — - - - :: ::
0.1
0.17
0.16 II II
-I I-
0.15 - „ „ II
0.25
0.55 — .. „ _. .. I_

8.3
20.
28.
39.
41.
37.
33.8
(continued)

-------
TABLE E-l (continued)
Date Flow pH Specific
(Ips) (lab) Conduc-
tance
(^mhos)
Station 109, T. 9 S., R. 14 E. ,
5/15/75 5.95 3.64
6/7/75 56.9
6/18/75 47.6 2.49
7/1/75 173. 2.52
7/18/75166. 2.87
8/5/75 33.4 2.70
8/20/75 11.9 3.19
9/5/75 9.06 3.42
9/23/75 5.10 3.44
Station 110, T. 9 S.,
Depth
to
Water(m)
10/15/74 3.50 2.57
11/19/74 3.61 2.71
7/18/75 3.12 2.03
8/5/75 3.28 2.04
9/5/75 3.56 2.94
Station 127, T. 9 S.
Flow
(Ips)
8/5/75 226. 5.68
8/20/75 85.0 4.43
9/5/75 56.6 4. 41
9/15/75 42.0 3.84
Station 128, T. 9 S.
8/5/75 359. 6.13
8/20/75 283. 5.63
9/5/75 255. 6.23
9/15/75 227. 6.10
Station 129, T. 9 S
9/15/75 50.0 7.76
437.
—
1070.
918.
628.
782.
1030.
1230.
1210.
R. 14 E..



2720.
2770.
3080.
2840.
2660.
, R. 14 E.


249.
360.
431.
490.
, R. 14 E.
154.
182.
210.
49.
. , R. 14 E
146.
Acidity Alka-
(as linity
CaCO., (as
rag/If CaCO,
mg/TT
Sec. 10 DDC
83.6 0.
	
266. 0.
228. 0.
142. 0.
192. 0.
228. 0.
289. 0.
304. 0.
Sec. 11 CBA



896. 0.
883. 0.
2110. 0.
1940. 0.
1190. 0.
, Sec. 9 BAC


4.
62.8 0.
49.1 0.
59.1 0.
. , Sec. 4 CCA
46.
47.
48.
49.
., Sec. 9 EDO
87.
Sulfate
(mg/1)

203.
—
374.
317.
218.
304.
376.
510.
569.




1130.
1080.
2100.
2000.
1330.



no.
160.
206.
223.

28.
37.
51.
57.

5.
Silica
(mg/1)

10.2 '
—
16.
13.
13.5
19.5
24.0
31.2
32.2




131.
148.
6fi.3
76.8
79.2



10.1
12.5
13.9
14.4

5.6
5.6
5.6
5.5

3.5
Iron Iron Aluminum
Total (mq/1) (mq/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)

5.4
99.
54. 31.6
44.3 23.6
23.2 9.3
29.4 10.8
37.8 23.3
43.4 30.9
37.6 27.9




209.
- 238.
610. 556.
520. 498.
39fi. 336.



5.00
7.5
7.86
9.28

1.44
1.67
1.44
1.86

0.16

9.32
_.
22.4
16.4
13.
18.
23.5
30.0
37.4




39.4
46.2
109.
92.5
54.0



0.15
3.76
5.89
6.8

0.11
0.07
0.08
0.09

0.05
Lead Conner
(mg/1) (mq/1)

0.06
„
< 0.005
< 0.05
0.070
0.007
__
0.009
0.011





__
	
	
—



< 6.005
0.003
0.006
0.005

0.006
0.0035
<0.002
< 0.002

0.002

2.17
__
7.9
6.5
4.8
7.5
__
11.6
12.7





_.
	
	
--



1.83
3.18
3.64
4.02

0.040
0.051
0.066
0.395

0.001
Zinc Cadmium Calcium Magnesium
(mq/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mq/1)

0.47
„
0.68
0.73
0.510
0.710
__
0.002
0.004





	
__
	
--



0.250
0.36
0.511
0.559

0.010
0.0283
0.040
0.0255

0.001

0.0037
__ __
__
__
0.020
0.009 41.
49.
0.0015 62.
0.0049 69.





__
__
	 	
--



0.001 31.
0.0028 40.
0.0032 50.
0.0038 56.


-------
                                                 TABLE  E-2.   WATER  QUALITY ANALYSIS DATA—GLENGARY MINE AREA AND  FISHER CREEK
ro
Date
Station
8/22/73
8/27/74
9/16/74
7/19/75
8/5/75
Station
8/27/74
9/16/74
6/22/75
7/19/75
8/5/75
9/6/75
Station
8/26/74
9/16/74
Station
7/26/74
8/27/74
9/16/74
9/6/75
Station
8/21/73
7/26/74
8/27/74
9/16/74
10/14/74
11/20/74
2/4/75
5/18/75
6/18/75
Flow DH
(Ips) (lab)
201, T. 9 S,
— 2.57
-- 2.79
- 2.67
0.57 2.18
0.28 2.56
202, T. 9 S.
-- 6.51
— 6.02
1.13 3.87
19.8 4.49
9.06 7.63
0.28 5.51
203, T. 9 S.
— 4.49
0.20 3.56
204, T. 9 S.
-- 3.91
— 4.26
0.57 3.99
0.85 4.76
205, T. 9 S.
2.74
2.84
2.92
3.40 2.98
2.28 3.28
2.21 3.25
2.28 3.31
1.13 2.91
1.93 2.37
Specific
Conduc-
tance
(u. mhos)
., R. 14 E.,
1850.
1790.
2300.
1780.
1850.
., R. 14 E.,
50.4
65.2
182.
79.9
78.7
54.0
,, R. 14 E.,
83.7
306.4
, R. 14 E.,
117.
90.7
154.
?46.
, R. 14 E.,
1140.
999.
1250.
1140.
1060.
1030.
879.
1080.
1340.
Acidity Alka-
(as Unity
CaC03 (as
mg/1) CaCO,
rag/if
Sec. 2
254.
247.
416.
542.
585.
Sec. 2

	
35.2
15.4
—
—
Sec. 11
12.8
51.7
Sec. 11
19.6
15.8
28.1
--
Sec. 11
174.
150.
181.
153.
149.
126.
130.
156.
271.
CCD
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
CCD
2.
2.
0.
0.
5.
2.
BAB
0.
0.
ABC
0.
0.
0.
0.
ABC
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
Sulfate
(mg/1)

602.
550.
768.
662.
726.

16.2
24.
66.
26.2
25.5
19.2

31.
80.

24.0
30.
46.
44.6

332.
231.
345.
326.
341.
288.
305.
330.
355.
Silica
(mg/1)

32

.4
30.0
33
16
23

3
5
10
3
4
4

.9
.7
.0

.6
.1
.1-
.6
.2
.2

5.4
13.3


6.6
7.7
14.0
11.9

34.
23.
31.
29.
30.
27.
30.
29.
25.

8
3
4
6
1
6
0
7
0
Iron Iron Aluminum Lead Cooper Zinc Cadmium
Total (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1 )

65
90
84
132. 128
130. 120


.5
.0
.0
.5


0.07
0
.48
0.64
0.79 1.14
0.49 1.12
0.43 €.09

0.
1.


.19
.06

0.80
1.15
0.
1.36 1.

51.
39.
49.
45.
32.
33.
29.
35.
75. 75.
71
33


4
8
3
4
9
8
2


2.32 0.03 5.74 0.297 <0.01
2.50
5.12
10.8
9.7

0.11
0.45
2.9
1.15
0.90
0.58

1.33
3.00

1.3
1.39
2.42
2.34

4.21 0.05 1.38 n.245 <0.01
5.0
6.7
5.13
5.2
6.0
4.3
4.6 0.07 0.65 0.33 
-------
       TABLE E-2 (continued)
co
Date Flow pH Specific Acidity
(Ips) (lab) Conduc- (as
tance CaC03
(.amhos) mg/1)
Station 205, T. 9 S.,
7/1/75
7/19/75
8/5/75
8/20/75
9/6/75
9/23/74
7.08 2.42
14.7 2.89
6.80 2.46
2.55 3.23
2.55 3.32
1.98 3.39
Station 206, T. 9 S.,
8/23/74
7/26/74
8/27/74
9/16/74
10/14/74
9/6/75
— 2.88
— 4.35
— 4.30
0.20 4.45
0.57 4.62
0.57 4.43
Station 207, T. 9 S.,
7/29/74
8/27/74
9/16/74
10/14/74
11/20/74
12/18/74
1/22/75
2/4/75
2/18/75
3/20/75
4/14/75
5/14/75
5/18/75
6/7/75
6/18/75
7/1/75
7/19/75
8/5/75
8/20/75
96.2 3.62
— 3.56
12.1 3.31
8.50 3.72
4.42 3.83
4.53 3.77
3.12 3.83
3.12 3.99
3.12 3.70
3.12 3.67
3.12 3.58
12.2 3.66
3.38
24.6 —
71.7 3.60
283. 3.59
164. 3.73
16.4 3.38
15.9 3.89
R. 14 E.,
1100.
491.
1040.
1120.
1180.
1020.
R. 14 E.,
- 871.
74.1
55.3
62.0
63.0
66.3
R. 14 E.,
244.
374.
366.
386.
400.
350.
391.
383.
390.
341.
224.
285.
387.
—
147.
139.
116.
225.
289.
Sec. 11
209.
53.6
202.
188.
158.
147.
Sec. 11
128.
16.0
13.4
12.6
15.6
27.7
Sec. 11
32.6
46.2
47.4
50.0
44.8
39.8
47.2
50.9
43.8
46.2
42.5
37.
57.6
—
10.2
27.5
21.9
34.
20.1
Alka-
1 inity
(as
CaCO,
mg/lf
Sulfate
(mg/1)
Silica
(mg/1)
Iron Iron Aluminum
Total (mg/1) (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)
Lead
(mg/1)
Cooper
(mg/1)
Zinc Cadmium Calcium Magnesium
(mg/1) (mg/1). (mg/1) (mg/1)
ABC (Continued)
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
ABC
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
ACA
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
—
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
258.
106.
351.
338.
331.
318.

240.
18.6
24.0
22.0
28.0
25.4

51.0
' 98.0
114.
124.
118.
124.
132.
134.
122.
121.
113.
92.
111.
—
44.
35.
32.4
57.1
77.5
13.2
9.5
24.2
30.2
31.5
31.2

29.6
14.1
16.2
16.6
17.2
16.4

14.4
19.9
23.2
24.2
25.7
26.5
27.4
27.
27.
27.8
25.7
20.7
18.0
—
11.3
9.6
8.4
13.5
17.8
56.5 52.5
25.4 14.4
47. 38.5
51.6 47.5
46.6 42.6
42.2 40.8

25.8
0.10
0.04
0.07
0.19
0.29 0.41

2.98
6.4
4.0
4.41
5.22
4.97
4.45
3.85
3.75
1 . 68
1.55
2.63
5.9
4.05
1.9 1.5
3.6 2.33
3.33 1.40
3.49 1.74
4.50 3.75
3.0
1.35
6.34
6.5
6.0
5.5

3.72
1.6
1.14
1.22
1.4
1.30

1.8
2.56
2.59
2.86
3.56
2.8
3.3
3.2
3.2
3.2
2.9
2.48
3.65
—
1.5
1.34
1.0
1.94
2.37
<0.05
0.014
0.014
—
0.017
0.025


--
_.
--
-_
--


—
--
—
—
—
'
—
-_
—
—
0.04
0.07
—
O.005
<0.05
0.060
0.006
--
2.88
1.03
2.88
—
1.36
0.94


—
__
—
—
--


—
—
—
—
—
--
—
—
—
—
0.71
0.83
—
0.47
0.53
0.440
0.700
--
0.21
0.170 0.020
0.330 0.013

<0.002 0.001
0.0025 0.001


—
__
—
__
--


—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.15 <0.002
0.18 < 0.002
—
0.05
0.58
0.050 0.010
0.075 < 1.002 8.7 2.4
11.6 3.3
         (continued)

-------
  TABLEE-2 (continued)
Date Flow pH Specific
(Ips) (lab) Conduc-
tance
(.amhos)
Station 207, T.
9/6/75 9.35
9/23/75 25.2
Station 208, T.
9/16/73
12/5/73
7/26/74
8/27/74
9/16/74
10/14/74
71/20/74
12/18/74
1/22/75
2/4/75
2/18/75
3/20/75
4/14/75
5/14/75
6/18/75
7/1/75
7/19/75
8/5/75 227.
9/6/75 28.3
Station 209, T.
9/16/73
8/6/75 34.0
8/21/75 25.4
9/5/75 56.6
9/16/75 84.9
9 S.,
3.62
3.85
9 S.,
3.82
3.82
4.31
4.06
3.77
4.30
4.22
4.32
4.19
4.35
4.06
3.97
3.94
4.19
4.47
4.56
4.48
3.97
4.40
9 S.,
6.49
6.02
5.72
5.91
5.56
R. 14 E.
340.
350.
R. 14 E
196.
209.
89.4
172.
215.
235.
253.
233.
233.
230.
288.
215.
208.
139.
73.6
105.
65.9
109.
173.
R. 14 E.
108.
98.6
101.
106.
105.
.Acidity
(as
CaC03
mg/1)
. , Sec. 11
51.4
46.7
. , Sec. 12
81.
22.
9.7
24.5
25.3
25.4
31.9
25.6
26.
27.4
25.3
24.
22.7
17.6
11.6
7.9
9.9
17.4
15.2
, Sec. 18





Alka-
linity
(as
CaCO,
mg/lj
Sulfate
(mg/1 )
Silica
(rag/1)
I ron I ron
Total (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)
Aluminum Lead
(mg/1 ) (mq/1 )
Cooper Zinc Cadmium
(mq/1) (mg/1) (mg/1 )
Calcium Maqnesium
(mq/1) (mg/1)
ACA (Continued)
0.
0.
CBC
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
CAA
10.
12.
14.
7.
6.
102.
107.

58.
80.0
25.
49.
68.
82.
80.
86.
78.
79.
80.
76.
72.
49.0
24,
19.4
19.6
37.4
55.2

38.
28.
31.
37.
38.
22.5
23.4

19.5
20.1
8.9
14.5
18.3
18.8
19.3
19.6
20.8
21.1
20.8
21.2
19.8
13.4
7.5
5.6
6.2
9.4
15.6

9.9
7.1
9.1
9.4
9.0
4.10
3.80


1.24
	
	
	
	
	
	

	
	
	
__
_„
0.70
2.87
1.09
1.11
0.73

	
0.23
0.11
0.14
0.64
3.98
4.28

1.74
2.93
0.86
1.70
1.17
1.39
1.24
1.08
0.82
0.73
0.78
0.51
0.35
0.28
0.49
0.27
0.61
0.69
0.72

0.20
0.02
0.03
0.03
0.03
2,69 0.0098
2.64 0.0073

1.19 <0.02
1.62
0.80
1.34
1.60
1.94
, 2.3
2.0
2.3
2.1
2.1
2.
1.7
1.08 0.06
0.6
0.25
0.45
0.97
1.59

<0.5 0.02
0.11 0.008
0.06 < 0.002
<0.05 0.006
0.10 0.0029
0.817 0.132 0.0012
0.796 0.141 0.001

0.48 0.08 
-------
         TABLEE-2 (continued)
en
Date

Flow pH
(Ips) (lab)
Depth
to
Water (m)
Station 210, T. 9 S. ,
9/16/74
10/14/74
6/22/75
7/1/75
8/5/75
9/6/75



Station
6/22/75
7/1/75
7/19/75
8/5/75
Station
8/6/75
8/21/75
9/5/75
9/16/75
Station
9/16/75
1.36 4.16
1.76 4.56
1.22 4.01
1.22 3.99
1.45 3.65
1.41 4.02
Depth
to
Water (m)
211, T. 9 S.
0.55 2.33
0.30 2!24
0.46 2.13
1.03 2.41
213, T. 9 S.
343. 7.00
259. 5.54
226. 6.34
339. 5.82
214, R. 9 S.
71. 6.93
Specific Acidity Alka-
Conduc- (as linity
tance CaCO, (as
(-amhos) rag/if CaCO-,
mg/lf

, R. 14
192.
127.
137.
151.
175.
122.



, R. 14
1730.
2310.
2060.
2050.
, R. 14
64.8
75.4
80.7
83.5
, R. 15
85.5


Sulfate
(mg/1)

Silica
(mg/1)

I ron I ron
Total (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)



Aluminum Lead Copoer Zinc Cadmium Calcium
(mg/1) (mq/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mq/1) (mg/1)

Magnesium
(ma/1)

E., Sec. 11 BBA
29.7
23.7
22.6
31.3
52.2
11.0



E., Sec.
767.
1330.
821.
852.
E., Sec.

E., Sec.

0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.



2 CCD
0.
0.
0.
0.
20 ACC
19.
16.
16.
15.
17 CDB
12.0
76.
48.
44.
46.
47.7
44.5




927.
1550.
914.
968.

10.9
14.8
19.4
27.

23.6
10.3
11.7
8.9
9.0
11.1
9.4




80.7
80.7
61.0
«52.

5.2
5.6
6.1
6.3

6.6



6.4
75.2
27.9





100.
97.
139.

0.10
0.06
0.10
0.09

0.13
6.
12.
1.
1.
0.
7.




23.
91.
114.
130.

10
8
0
13
97
6




7




o.nn
0.01
0.03
0.01


0.04
1.59
1.27
1.82
1.67
2.15
3.7




62.4
120.
64.4
49.

0.09 
-------
                                     TABLE E-3.  WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS DATA—HcLAREN MILL AREA AND SODA BUTTE CREEK
•Date flow
(Ips)
Station 317, T.
8/20/73 72.8
6/10/74 628.
7/8/74 606.
7/24/74 245.
8/12/74 133.
9/17/74 60.8
10/14/74 53.0
11/18/74 30.0
12/16/74 17.0
1/13/75 12.5
2/5/75 9.63
2/18/75 9.35
3/19/75 13.0
4/14/75 7.93
5/19/75 94.3
6/5/75 852.
6/17/75 920.
7/2/75 1620.
7/20/75
7/30/75 991.
8/4/75 250.
8/19/75 146.
9/4/75 79.0
9/23/75 71.1
Station 319, T.
6/10/74 173.
7/8/74 396
8/12/74 36.0
Station 320, T.
8/20/73
9/22/73
12/5/73
5/2/74
6/10/74
pH
(lab)
9 S.,
8.18
7.91
7.89
7.97
8.43
8.13
7.88
8.47
8.23
7.98
7.74
7.95
8.09
8.21
7.94
	
6.93
6.78
7.76
6.58
7.52
7.67
8.20
7.54
9 S.,
7.67
7.65
6.84
9S.,
3.71
2.20
4.68
7.60
4.48
Specific
Conduc-
tance
( M mhos)
R. 14 E.
238.
170.
188.
228.
234.
234.
203.
250.
259.
239.
248.
246.
246.
247.
239.
	
151.
122.
206.
249.
230.
228.
232.
231.
R. 14 E.
129.
92.6
140.
R. 14 E.
1400.
Acidity Alka-
(as linity
,CaC03 (as
mg/1) CaOh
mg/1)
, Sec. 25
	 a
__
—
	
__
__
—
—
—
—
—
—
--
::
	
--
	
__
__
, Sec. 25
..
—
—
, Sec. 25
174.
4590. 3600.
1480
348.
1370.
14.2
	
167.
ADB
118.
77.
84.
112.
127.
m.
94.
129.
118.
114.
118.
117.
116.
118.
112.
__
64.
30.
99.
82.
114.
114.
117.
118.
ACD
43.
35.
51.
ACD
0.
0.
0.
109.
0.
Sul fate
(mg/1)

8.3
12.0
8.8
7.6
7.4
9.4
9.6
9.2
10.4
8.6
8.9
10.2
10.2
10.4
14.5
__
10.3
62.
9.9
38.9
9.5
10.5
8.2
7.2

19.4
9.8
14.8

775.
402.
741.
59.0
854.
Silica
(mg/1)

9.2
8.1
9.0
9.8
11.4
9.7
9.0
7.6
8.0
9.8
9.5
9.6
7.9
8.2
7.0
--
7.1
6.4
7.9
7.3
7.7
7.7
8.1
7.9

8.2
6.3
7.7

13.2
36.8
10.7
7.6
12.2
Iron
Total
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)

	
—
--
--
—
—
--
—
—
—
—
—
—
__
0.13
0.18
2.8
0.05
16.9
0.19
0.40
0.06
0.09

__
	
--

	
iron
(mg/1)

__
—
—
—
0.01
0.02
0.02
3.26
0.03
1.50
0.03
<0.01
0.03
<0.01
0.05
	
0.25
0.18
0.15
0.08
0.07
0.03
0.28
0.12

__
—
<0.01

172.
— 1300.
124.
—
—
179.
—
198.
Aluminum
(mg/1 )

<0.5
—
--
< 0. 1
< 0.1
< 0.1
< 0.1
< 0.1
< 0. 1
0.1
< 0. 1
< 0. 1
< 0.1
0.10
—
0.08
<0.05
<0.05
<0.05
0.07
0.05
0.05
0.06

__
—
<0.01

<0.5
116.
0.26
—
—
Lead Copper
(mg/1) (mg/1)

<0.02 <0.02
<0.01 <0.01
<0.02 <0.01
--
<0.01 <0.01
0.03 <0.01
<0.02 <0.01
--
__
--
--
—
—
0.05 0.01
	 	
0.10
<0.05 0.08
< 0.002 0.040
0.060 0.050
0.060 0.006
0.005 0.0048
< 0.003 0.011

<0.02 0.01
—
— --

<0.02 0.06
0.18 44.8
' - .04
<0.02 0.02
<0.02 <0.01
Zinc
(mg/1)

<0.02
0.02
0.01
--
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
--
—
--
--
--
-~
0.01
—
0.01
0.01
0.010
0.020
0.003
0.0136
0.012

0.02
—
— —

0.21
1.70
--
0.08
0.26
Cadmium
(mg/1)

<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
--
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
—
—
-"
—
~-
~~
0.0020
	
0.010
0.020
< 0.002
< 0.001
< 0.001

<0.01
--
— —

< .01
0.02
—
<0.01
0.01
Calcium
(mg/1)

—
—
--
~-
—
—
--
—
— —
—

--
~ —
40.00
	
25.00
19.80
34.80
--
--
39.40
40.00
38.80

--
--
"

—
—
—
—
—
Magnesium
(mg/1)

--
--
--
—
--
--
—
""
""
— —
~"
— ~
"
6.80

4.50
4.00
5.70

--
7. 00
7.40
6.80

--
••


--
--
--
--
--
(continued)

-------
TABLEE-3  (continued)
Date Flow pH Specific
(lps)(lab) Conduc-
tance
Station 320, T. 9 S., R. 14 E. ,
6/20/74 7.65 3.27 1520.
7/8/74 34.0 3.90 1490.
8/12/74 5.95 4.20 1740.
9/17/74 — 3.69 1450.
7/2/75 11.0 5.78 994.
7/20/75 — 6.07 1120.
8/4/75 6.51 4.86 1150.
9/4/75 4.48 1180.
Station 321, T. 9 S., R. 14 E. ,
7/8/74 7.08 5.64 1210.
8/12/74 3.68 6.23 1080.
9/17/74 2.27 3.80 1340.
10/14/74 1.78 3.87 1360.
11/18/74 1.44 3.85 1370.
12/16/74 1.78 4.12 1310.
1/13/75 1.78 4.41 1260.
2/6/75 1.784.02 1180.
3/19/75 1.61 3.71 1160.
4/14/75 1.44 3.76 1080.
5/19/75 3.79 4.93 915.
6/5/75 6.70 —
6/17/75 8.21 4.08 1540.
7/2/75 7.08 4.52 1270.
7/20/75 11.6 4.99 1080.
8/4/75 3.12 5.50 1080.
9/4/75 9.35 4.14 993.
Station 322, T. 9 S. , R. 14 E.
8/20/73 60.9 7.48 340.
6/10/74 917. 7.81 192.
7/8/74 1090. 7.67 157.
7/24/74 439. 8.44 230.
8/12/74170. 7.61 293.
9/17/74 33. 8.17 362.
Acidity
(as
mg/lj3
Alka-
linity
(as
CaC03
mg/1)
Sulfate
(mg/1)
Silica
(mg/1)
Iron
Total
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)
Iron
(mq/1)
Aluminum
(mg/1)
Lead
(mg/1)
Copper
(mg/1)
Zinc
(mg/1 )
Cadmium
(rag/1)
Calcium Magnesium
(mg/1) (mg/1)
Sec. 25 ACD ( ontinued)
83.6
64.5
168.
39.2
	
	
56.6
57.6
Sec. 25

—
116.
148.
157.
195.
176.
154.
141.
98.3
116.
--
309.
211.
144.
__
118.
, Sec. 25

	
	
	
	
—
0.
0.
0.
0.
11.
4.

0.0
ACD
27.
4.
0.
0.
0. '
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
-
0.
0.
0.
16.
0.
ACD
109.
69.
54.
98.
104.
87.
788.
856.
1070.
837.
497.
608.
671.
716.

705.
593.
762.
802.
788.
772.
730.
694.
656.
584.
490.
—
929.
737.
590.
556.
542.

66.0
30.0
22.0
28.
43.
92.
16.5
14.9
17.6
29.6
10.7
11.3
10.7
11.8

9.0
8.1
9.8
9.8
9.6
9.3
9.8
9.8
8.6
7.7
8.6
__
10.5
9.6
8.8
8.3
8.8

9.2
__
7.1
8.2
11.3
7.7

__
	
..
48.5
57.2
62.
70.6


	

_.
	
	
	
	
	
	
-.
335.
282.
186.
143.
141.
122.






—
46.4
41.6
86.2
48.
13.
21.1
21.6
35.8

119.
100.
152.
148.
149.
176.
128.
167.
126.
128.
136.
__
460.
149.
122.
106.
127.

7.4



<0.01
1.14
1.8
0.5

< 0.1
0.15
0.10
0.10
0.89

<0 1
< 0 1
< 0 1
< o'l
< o'l

-------
 TABLE E-3  (continued)
Date
Flow pH Specific
(Ips) (lab) Conduc-
tance
( Aunhos }
Acidity
(as
CaC03
mg/1)
Alka-
linity
(as
CaC03
Sulfate
(mg/1)
Silica
(mg/1 )
Iron Iron
Total (mg/1 )
Recov-
erable
(raq/1)
Aluminum
(rag/1)
Lead
(mg/1)
Copper
(mg/1 )
Zinc
(imi/1 )
Cadmium
(mg/1 )
Calcium Magnesium
(mg/1) (mg/1)
 Station  322, T.  9  S.,  R.  14  E.,  Sec.  25  ACD (Continued)
10/14/74 15.9 7.77 392.
11/18/74 10.8 8.26 481.
12/16/74 7.08 6.82 696.
1/13/75 5.38 6.42 640.
2/5/75 5.38 6.21 800.
2/18/75 3.96 6.32 826.
3/19/75 3.96 6.50 798.
4/14/75 7.08 6.26 779.
5/19/75 74.5 7.24 279.
6/5/75 855.
6/17/75 1120. 6.57 148.
7/2/75 2700. 6.74 104.
7/20/75 — 7.18 154.
7/30/75 990. 6.81 255.
8/4/75 272. 6.77 277.
8/19/75 110. 7.14 308.
9/4/75 94.6 6.97 350.
9/23/75 48.7 7.29 367.
Station 325, T. 9 S., R. 14 E.,
5/19/75 1250. 7.47 143.
6/17/75 8300. 7.91 121.
7/2/75 - 6.73 91.3
7/15/75 — 6.41 79.4
8/4/75 — 6.46 129.
8/19/75 -- 5.96 169.
9/4/75 - 6.79 197.
9/23/75 991. 6.79 206.
Station 326, T. 58 N., R. 109 W.
5/19/75 2550. 7.72 174.
6/17/75 9540. 7.92 136.
7/2/75 — 6.67 95.2
7/15/75 — 6.55 94.5
8/4/75 — 6.52 150.
99.
86.
62.
66.
50.
42.
51.
64.
60.
—
59.
46.
62.
68.
96.
104.
105.
105.
Sec. 33 ACD
59.
50.
37.
33.
54.
74.
80.
90.
, Sec. 21 BCC
74.
59.
40.
41.
68.
115.
167.
306.
265.
378.
401.
372.
323.
71.
—
15.5
11.9
17.7
50.5
40.7
57.7
72.6
81.7

12.9
11.4
6.4
6.1
8.0
12.7
22.
11.1
(Wyoming)
11.6
9.5
5.9
5.9
10.6
99.
86.
62.
66.
50.
42.
51.
64.
60.
—
59.
46.
62.
68.
96.
104.
105.
105.
115.
167.
306.
265.
378.
401.
372.
323.
71.
—
15.5
11.9
17.7
50.5
40.7
57.7
72.6
81.7
6.1
5.5
5.6
6.9
7.8
7.
7.3
6.8
6.0
--
7.0
5.6
6.3
6.5
7.3
7.5
7.9
7.5
	
—
—
—
	
	
	
	
	
5.65
0.47
16.2
1.25
18.2
5.2
8.7
9.1
11.5
0.71
2.10
35.8
6.0
49.4
46.2
9.0
34.5
0.17
--
0.22
11.5
0.10
0.07
0.06
1.46
0.36
0.84
< 0.
< 0.
<0.
< 0.
< 0.
< 0.
<0.

-------
      TABLE 1-3 (continued)
<£>
Date Flow pH
(lps)(1ab)
Station 326, T.
8/19/75 —
9/4/75
9/14/75 1330.
Station 327, T.
5/19/75 2550.
6/17/75 9770.
7/2/75
7/15/75 --
8/4/75
8/19/75 --
9/4/75
9/14/75 1980.
58 N.
5.98
6.92
6.65
57 N.
7.87
7.95
7.39
7.62
6.49
6.28
8.05
7.32
Specific Acidity Alka-
Conduc- (as linity
tance CaCOj (as
( jumhos) mg/1) CaCOo
mg/ir
, R. 109 W., Sec.
193.
226.
240.
, R. 109 W. , Sec.
204.
145.
104.
109.
160.
202.
222.
246.
Sulfate
(mg/1)
Silica
(mg/1)
I ron I ron
Total (mg/1 )
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)
Aluminum Lead
(mg/1) (mg/1)
Copper Zinc
(mg/1) (mg/1)
Cadmium
(mg/1 )
Calcium Magnesium
(mg/1) (mg/1)
21 BCC (Wyoming) (Continued)
89.
100.
103.
6 DBC
89.
64.
45.
47.
76.
99.
107.
111.
12.4
16.3
23.

12.7
10.0
6.8
6.0
10.9
11.3
13.5
16.9
10.3
10.7
10.3

10.8
10.0
9.2
9.6
10.9
11.6
11.8
11.8
0.40
0.23
0.19

0.53
1.64
19.8
3.68
0.52
0.38
0.23
0.15
0.06
0.05
0.06

0.10
0.10
0.10
0.08
0.05
0.07
0.05
0.05
< 0.002
0.002
0.005

< 0.005
< 0.005
< 0.005
< 0.005
< 0.005
0.0071
< 0.002
0.0070
< 0.001 < 0.001
0.0024 0.0039
0.0064 < 0.001

0.0010 <0.00i
0.0030 < 0.005
0.0030 < 0.002
0.0010 < 0.003
0.002 < 0.001
< 0.001 < 0.001
0.0025 0.004
0.0045 0.0187
< 0.001
< 0.001
<0.001

<0.0010
< 0.0020
<0.0010
<0.0010
< 0.001
< 0.001
<0.001
< 0.001
26.00
30.00
32.00

26.00
19.20
12.80
13.60
23.00
28.00
31.00
33.00
6.40
8.00
8.80

7.80
5.00
3.10
3.60
4.60
7.20
9.20
9.40
         Dashes indicate sample not tested.

-------
                                              TABLE  E-4.   WATER OUALITY ANALYSIS DATA-McLAREN MILL TAILINGS
Date
Station
5/2/74
6/10/74
7/10/74
7/2/75
Depth pH
to (lab)
Water
(•)
301, T.
2
0
1
0
,65
.16
.17
.73
7
7
7
6
9 S.
.48
.37
.26
.99
Specific
Conduc-
tance
( Airnhos )
, R. 14 E.
350.
130.
1060.
820.
Acidity Alka-
(as Unity
CaCQ-, (as
mg/ir CaCO,
mg/ir
, Sec. 25 ADB
-a 51.
44.
280.
183.
Sulfate
(mg/1)
108.
20.0
377.
278.
Silica Iron Iron Aluminum Lead Coooer Zinc Cadmium Calcium Magnesium
(mg/1) Total (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mq/1 )
2.
4.
11.
8.
6
.2 — -- — <0.02 <0.01 0.01 <0.01
1
3 2.07 0.10 <0.05
 Station  302.  T.  9  S.,  R.  14  E.,  Sec.  25 ADC
6/10/74
7/10/74
8/12/74
9/17/74
10/14/74
11 /1 8/74
-* 6/5/75
£< 6/17/75
0 7/2/75
7/20/75
8/4/75
9/4/75
0.04
2.12
2.18
2.30
2.30
2.35
1.16
1.58
2.04
2.17
2.09
2.38
Station 303, T.
5/14/74
6/10/74
7/10/74
8/12/74
6/17/75
7/2/75
7/20/75
8/4/75
9/4/75
2.81
0.54
1.20
3.24
0.30
0.76
0.66
1.33
3.01
Station 304, T.
5/15/74
6/10/74
7/10/74
4.57
2.20
2.29
7.77
7.64
8.42
7.91
8.03
7.71
	
7.31
7.02
6.65
6.97
7.24
9 S.,
6.24
6.11
5.68
5.39
6.74
6.07
4.48
3.46
5.47
9 S.,
3.52
2.91
2.81
111.
435.
361.
307.
319.
404.
__
227.
366.
384.
387.
414.
R. 14 E.,
2240.
870.
1730.
3180.
123.
763.
1570.
2120.
3360
R. 14 E.,
2460.
2310.
1730.
	
—
__
	
	
	
	
	
	
_.
__
—
Sec. 25 ADC
„
—
—
__
—
—
123.
188.
—
Sec. 25 ACD
207.
823.
444.
56.
224.
184.
117.
124.
190.
__
112.
208.
200.
204.
212.

87.
31.
24.
19.
55.
42.-
0.
0.
28.

0.
0.
0.
1.6
6.8
15.8
32.
46.
23.
—
9.5
8.6
9.1
6.9
15.2

1580.
481.
1080.
2420.
6.1
183.
989.
1320.
2400.

1780.
1410.
757.
56.
224.
184.
117.
124.
190.
	
112.
208.
200.
204.
212.
1.6
6.8
15.8
32.
46.
23.
	
9.5
8.6
9.1
6.9
15.2
4.3
11.1
15.3
2.6
5.3
11.4
__
4.6
7.3
10.5
10.9
10.3





4.
2.
7.
19,
1.
14.
—
—
__
	
—
.50
,7
,5
.2
25
6

0
1
0


0
0
0
0
0
—
.23
.40
.27
—
—
.58
.78
.29
.42
.49
<0.1
0.1
0.62
0.14
0.1
--
0.43
0.25
0.20
0.05
0.37
<0.02
<0.02
—

-------
       TABLE E-4 (continued)
tn
Date Depth oH Specific
to (lab) Conduc-
Mater tance
(ro) (-amhos)
Station 304, T.
8/12/74
6/17/75
7/2/75
7/20/75
8/4/75
9/4/75
4.48
1.80
1.86
1.66
2.34
3.81
Station 305. T.
6/10/74
7/10/74
8/12/74
9/17/74
10/14/74
11/18/74
12/16/74
1/13/75
2/5/75
2/18/75
3/19/75
4/14/75
5/19/75
6/5/75
6/17/75
7/2/75
7/20/75
8/4/75
9/4/75
Station
6/10/74
7/10/74
8/12/74
9/17/74
10/14/74
11/18/74
1.32
1.68
2.06
2.71
3.06
3.33
3.65
3.91
3.89
4.15
4.68
5.29
1.52
1.13
1.31
1.77
1.61
1,64
2.25
306, T.
0.56
0.46
1.00
2.98
3.84
4.13
9 S.,
2.92
2.20
2.71
2.22
2.35
3.31
9 S.,
6.70
6.45
6.62
7.68
6.60
6.62
6.50
6.36
6.13
5.79
5.85
5.98
7.03
6.68
6.87
7.02
6.88
6.95
9 S.,
7.01
7.15
7.76
7.53
6.87
7.69
R. 14 E.
6000.
2570.
1770.
1770.
1450.
6210.
R. 14 E.
1900.
2870.
3210.
2880.
3140.
4050.
4010.
3010.
3200.
3080.
3000.
3100.
2150.
2510.
2440.
2500.
2630.
2760.
R. 14 E
579.
750.
843.
984.
1840.
1100.
Acidity Alka-
(as linitv
CaC03 (as
mg/1) CaC03
mg/1)
Sulfate
(mq/1)
Silica
(mg/1)
Iron Iron
Total (mq/1)
Recov-
erable
(mq/1)
Aluminum Lead Conner Zinc Cadmium Calcium Maqnpsium
(mq/1) (m
-------
TABLE E-4  (continued)
Date Depth
to
Water
Station 306, T.
12/16/74 4.22
1/13/75 4.48
2/18/75 5.27
6/17/75 0.43
7/2/75 0.55
Station 307, T.
5/2/74 5.15
6/10/74 2.11
7/10/74 2.00
8/12/74 3.78
__. 6/17/75 1.83
tn 7/2/75 1.74
ro
Station 308, T.
6/10/74 2.59
7/10/74 1.96
8/12/74 3.26
5/19/75 2.65
6/17/75 2.62
7/2/75 2.38
7/20/75 1.71
8/4/75 1.90
9/4/75 2.93
Station 310, T.
12/5/73 4.97
6/10/74 2.21
7/8/74 2.60
8/12/74 3.57
9/17/74 3.67
10/14/74 3.73
11/18/74 3.76
6/5/75 2.62
pH Specific
(lab) Conduc-
tance
(.amhos)
9 S., R. 14 E.,
6.88 1470.
6.56 1570.
7.03 1300.
6.76 103.
6.69 90.9
9 S., R. 14 E.,
6.46 4990.
3.01 3710.
3.04 4020.
6.28 3550.
2.35 3260.
2.80 3650.

9 S., R. 14 E. ,
3.29 4780.
5.95 7090.
4.06 16200.
6.65 2170.
2.67 3840.
4.54 6540.
4.42 7970.
4.62 4370.
4.49 3760.
9 S., R. 14 E.,
3.41 22600.
3.66 7750.
5.64 8140.
4.34 10600.
2.94 12200.
3.94 11400.
4.43 13600.
—
Acidity
(as
CaCO-,
mg/1)
Sec. 25 ACD

__
	
	
—
Sec. 25 ACD

916.
1180.
—
483.
1250.

Sec. 25 ACD
273.
—
13200.
—
2640.
1850.
2180.
2210.
280.
Sec. 25 ADC
22600.
3990.
—
7460.
7520.
9500.
10700.
—
Alka-
linity
(as
CaCO,
mg/1)
Sulfate
(mg/1 )
Silica
(mg/1)
Iron Iron
Total (mg/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)
Aluminum
(mg/1)
Lead
Cooper
(mg/1)
Zinc
(mg/1)
Cadmium Calcium Maqnesium
(mg/1) (mg/1) (mg/1)
(continued)
396.
365.
476.
36.
37.

227.
0.
0.
301.
0.
0.


0.
568.
0.
69.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.

0.
0.
216.
0.
0.
0.
n.
—
529.
612.
292.
8.8
5.8

3590.
2790.
2890.
2300.
2050.
2550.


4610.
6410.
19600.
1210.
2600.
6570.
7510.
3180.
3200.

33400.
7490.
9240.
11400.
12400.
14200.
16500.
—
17.1
16.4
19.6
2.2
2.4

12.6
38.9
44.5
21.9
24.0
43.


12.8
24.4
27.0
8.7
12.2
16.5
15.6
18.0
15.4

28.9
33.3
35.3
1-0.9
45.7
37.2
19.6
—
70.5
68.5
58.
0.21
5. 0.27

._
-- 429.
536.
56.
238.
590. 568.


418.
538.
7900.
2.34
166.
1070. 1030.
1350. 1270.
410. 365.
245. 355.

-- 13100.
2450.
2430.
4390.
4780.
5160.
6320.
1900.
<0.1
< 0. 1
1.2
0.11
0.06

..
7.7
17.3
0.1
8.
28.4


0.5
0.01
2.0
0.32
0.10
0.24
0.14
0.17
2.40 <

207.
0.9
—
2.5
3.19
5.15
5.55
__




--


0.10
	
	
__
	


0.16
	
0.40
0.11
__
	
0.260
_.*
0.005


0.16
0.19
0.27
0.30
0.34
0.35
__




--


15193 2
	
	
	
	


0.68 0

0.20 n"
0.99 0
	
-_
0.110 ]
	
0.0476<0

8.7
0.73 0.
0.30 0.
0.14 1.
0.44 1.
0.89 1.
0.93 2.
	 ..




--


.69"

__
__
__


.38
,_
.4
.34
_
_
.11
_
.002


87
79
25
50
60
50





-.


1.05" II II
	
--
	



0.01

0.05
< 0.002


O.~040 II II


-------
TABLE E-4 (continued)
Date
Depth pH
to (lab)
Water
(m)
Station 310, T.
6/17/75
7/2/75
7/20/75
8/4/75
9/4/75
Station
5/14/74
6/10/74
7/10/74
8/12/74
9/17/74
6/17/75
7/2/75
Station
S 6/17/75
7/2/75
7/20/75
Station
6/17/75
7/2/75
Station
8/12/74
7/2/75
Station
6/17/75
7/2/75
Station
6/17/75
7/2/75
7/20/75
8/4/75
2.26
2.32
2.17
2.68
3.86
311, T.
3.88
1.17
1.75
3.61
4.61
1.28
1.31
312, T.
2.44
3.35
3.31
313, T.
1.83
0.64
314, T.
3.82
3.69
315, T.
1.82
1.95
316, T.
1.10
1.40
1.34
2.22
Specific
Conduc-
tance
(ttnhos)
Acidity Alka-
(as Unity
CaC03 (as
rng/1) CaCO,
mg/ir
Sulfate
(mg/1 )
Silica
(mg/1)
Iron Iron
Total (mq/1)
Recov-
erable
(mg/1)
Aluminum Lead Cooper Zinc Cadmium Calcium "teqnesiuni
(mq/1) (mq/1) (mg/1) (mq/1) (mq/1) (mg/1) (mq/1)
9 S., R. 14 E., Sec. 25 ADC (continued)
2.58
3.41
2.80
3.07
4.08
9 S.,
2.51
3.02
3.00
3.53
4.14
2.49
3.12
9 S.,
6.99
6.95
7.01
9 S.,
6.98
7.03
9 S.,
5.70
5.90
9 S.,
4.41
4.42
9 S.,
6.28
6.11
6.58
6.25
7640.
6750.
7870.
8790.
10400.
R. 14 E.,
9400.
2040.
1930.
7850.
14300.
2330.
2020.
R. 14 E.,
373.
404.
551.
R. 14 E.,
831.
694.
R. 14 E.,
26300.
8770.
R. 14 E.,
3800.
4320.
R. 14 E.,
1200.
746.
459.
655.
3340.
3260.
3280.
4880.
—
Sec. 25 ADC
6910.
538.
396.
683.
13200.
574.
556.
Sec. 25 ACD

._
—
Sec. 25 ACD

--
Sec. 25 ACD

--
Sec. 25 ACD
951.
895.
Sec. 25 ADB

__
	
--
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.

0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.

162.
208.
312

469.
364.

181.
314.

0.
0.

56.
48.
64.
56.
6820.
6970.
7290.
9050.
11200.

9690.
1230.
1020.
7630.
17600.
1310.
1260.

22.
13.5
19.7

30.
17.9

49900.
7240.

3120.
3360.

617.
346.
161.
268.
34.2
28.2
28.
30.
23.

52.
14.
14.
72.
62.
12.
13.

7.
7
1
7

5
5
2
3
0
7
5

1
8.6
9.2


14.2
9.4

27
11

30
29

15
15
10
15

.6
.6

.8
.2


.2
.4
.7
1920. 1840.
1800. 1730.
2020. 1820.
2720. 2560.
3660. 3680.

3690.
283.
184.
2590.
7540.
324.
290. 282.

0.77
23.2 1.8
27.7 11.7

0.39
0.57 0.30

20600.
1290. 1380.

635.
1620. 1510.

n.
7.0 5.
8.3 0.
6.5 3.
1.37 — 0.86 0.64
3.25 0.18 ' 7.4 0.8
5.55 0.230 6.70 0.890 0.030
24.4
21.4 
-------
                                                     APPENDIX F
                                       TABLE  F-l.  CHEMISTRY OF SNOW SAMPLES


     Constituent    Ca    Mg    Na     K    Fe   Mn    Si02    HCOs    Cl    S04    F    Pba    Zn    Cu   Cd

     Location

     Cemetery near 0.29   0.08  0.2    0.2   0.04   .01    1.0     1.46   1.30  13.7   .05   3.9   8.5   1.0  1.0
     mill  site

     By cabin,     0.24   0.06  0.2    0.1   0.01   .01    1.0     1.46   2.65  10.4   .05   2.0  10.0   5.2  1.0
     McLaren  mine
_,    site
en
^    Site  211       0.38   0.09  0.3    0.2   0.05   .01    1.0     0.98   2.00   9.7   .05   2.0   4.0   1.0  1.0

     McLaren  pit    —b   —    —     —    —   —      —      	    4.0  51.2  10.3  1.5

     Glengary at    —    —    --     —    —   —      —      --     —     —   —    4.1  11.0   3.5  1.3
     back  of
     cirque

     Site  204        —    —    —     —    —    --      --      —     —     —   —    2.6   1.0   1.4  1.0

     Site  207        —.    —    —     —   —    —      —      —     —     —   —    2.0  10.9   2.3  1.0

    ? Micrograms per liter,  all other milligrams per liter.
    D Dash indicates sample  not  tested.

-------
                                APPENDIX G

                     SUMMARY OF WELL AND DRILLING DATA
     Eleven wells were constructed during the summer of 1973 within the
tailings pond materials, using a large backhoe and 4-inch heavy plastic
casing.  During the 1974 field season, five more wells were added at the
mill site, and nine wells were installed in the mine areas.  Wells in this
second group were shallower due to the use of a smaller backhoe (see
Table G-l).  A Mobile-50 drilling truck was employed during the 1975 field
season; 28 wells were drilled, primarily to gain information and samples
pertaining to the mineralogy, stratigraphy, and hydrology or the depth
of oxidation in the mill and mine sites.   The drilling records  are
summarized in Table G-l; the comments were taken from the field notes of the
geologist in charge, Larry Higgins in 1973, Joe Wallace in 1974, and John
Sonderegger in 1975.
                                   155

-------
                        TABLE G-l.   DRILLING SUMMARY
Site and
hole no.
McLaren
mill site

   1
   2


   3
    8
 (continued)
Altitude
of land
surface (ra)
2330.26



2334.55


2329.84
                2329.50
                2329.57
                2327.80
                2328.04
 2328.69
Depth
 On)
2.62


4.57
Casing
 (m)
3.14    Yes, 3.05
Yes, 2.44


Yes, 4.57
              6.10    Yes, 6,10
              6.52    Yes, 6.40
              5.55    Yes, 5.49
              5.70    Yes, 5.49
7.32    Yes, 7.32
Comments9
(measurements in m)
Tailings and gravel
1.3-1.9; tailings 1.9-3.1;
TD in gravel and boulders.

Sand and gravel 0-2.6;
TD in gravel and boulders.

Sand and gravel with
streaks of tailings 0.91-
1.83; fine sand with some
gravel 1.83-4.57.

Tailings 0.61-5.49; 5.49-
6.10 brown gravel and
cobbles (small amount of
water seeping  in from
sides).

Tailings 1.22-6.52; satu-
rated clay and tailings in
bottom 1.22-1.83; TD in
boulders and gravel; hole
sides slumping.

Sand and clay  with some
boulders 0-3.96; gravel
and boulders with stumps
and tree trunks  (old
creek bed) 3.96-5.55; TD
in creek bed;  water.

Tailings with  some clay
0.46-4.60; clay  and sand
with some boulders and
tailings 4.60-5.70.

Tailings 6.10-7.01;
boulders and gravel 7.01-
7.32.
                                     156

-------
 TABLE G-l.  (continued)
 Site and
 hole no.
 McLaren
 mill  site
 (continued)
   10
   11
  20
 Altitude
 of land
 surface (m)
 Depth   Casing
  (m)     (m)
 2331.49
 2330.55
2329.90
                               3.66
                       No
 5.64     Yes,  5.49
 5.94     Yes,  5.79
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
2333.
2330.
2329.
2330.
2331.
2329.
2329.
2329.
38
98
15b
44
03
99
99
60
3
3
4
3
3
5
5
5
.66
.75
.27
.96
.05
.79
.94
.64
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
3.66
3.66
4.27
3.96
3.05
6.10
6.10
6.10
6.86    Yes, 6.92
 Comments3
 (measurements in m)
 Tailings 0.61-2.44;
 boulders and gravel  2.44-
 3.66.

 Tailings 0.46-5.18;
 boulders and gravel  5.18-
 5.64.

 Tailings 0.61-5.94;  TO in
 boulders.

 Sand and gravel  0-3.66.

 Sand and gravel  0-3.75.

 Tailings 0.67-4.27.

 Tailings,  0.91-3.96-

 Gravel and cobbles 0-3.05.

 Tailings 0.91-5.18;  gravel
 5.18-5.79.

 Tailings 0.61-5.49; gravel
 and tailings  5.49-5.94.

 Tailings  (gray-green
 pyritic) 0.76-3.05 (black;
 damp) 3.05-3.96, (black
 and brown) 3.96-5.64;
 gravel  at bottom.

 Tailings (green) 0.85-2.13,
 (black-brown, dry) 2.13-
 3.66, (gray-green, silty,
wet) 3.66-6.71; gravel
6.71T6.86.
(continued)
                                     157

-------
TABLE 6-1.  (continued)
Site and
hole no.
McLaren
mill site
(continued)

   21
   22c
   23C
   24Ad
   24BC
   25
   26
Altitude
of land
surface (m)
2329.87
2330.38
2329.93
2327.50
2328.25
2329.21
2329.28
 Depth    Casing
  M      (m)
 5.94    Yes,  6.10
 6.86    Yes,  6.74
 6.40    Yes,  6.77
17.65    Yes, 6.10
 22.95   Yes, 6.10
 9.14    Yes, 8.53
 8.38    Yes, 8.23
Comments3
(measurements in m)
Tailings (blue-green) 0.76-
1.52, (gray-green) 1.52-
5.64; gravel 5.64-5.94;
water table at 3.05-3.35;
could hear water entering
hole from unknown depth.

Tailings 1.22-6.25; sand
and "hematite" 6.25-6.34;
gravel 6.34-6.86; water
table at about 3.35.

Tailings (normal) 0.61-
1.83, (with oxidized
material) 1.83-2.13,
(normal) 2.13-3.26,
(oxidized) 3.26-3.35,
(normal) 3.35-3.90, (clay
and pyrite) 3.90-4.27,
(normal) 4.27-4.57; gravel
4.57-5.94; gravel with
sand lenses 5.94-6.40.

Tailings 0.46-8.84; gravel
8.84-13.72; granite 13.72-
17.65; "soft zone" 15.54-
15.85; pyrite noted, minor
chlorite.

Tailings 7-3.81; gravel
3.81-18.29; diorite 18.29-
22.95.

Tailings 0.61-6.71; gravel
6.71-9.14-

Tailings 0.91-7.16; gravel
7.16-8.38'
 (continued)
                                     158

-------
 TABLE G-l.  (continued)
 Site and
 hole no.
 McLaren
 mill  site
 (continued)

    27
    28C
    29C
   30C
   32

   33C
 Altitude
 of land
 surface (m)
 2329.45
 2329.57
2329.38
2330.51
                2331.42
2330.32

2328.56
 Depth   Casing
  (m)      (m)
 8.38    Yes,  6.10
 6.10     Yes,  6.10
7.01    Yes, 6.10
5.18    Yes, 5.18
              3.66    No
2.74    No

7.47    Yes, 6.10
 Comments9
 (measurements in m)
 Tailings 0.91-6.86;  gravel
 and tailings 6.86-7.92;
 gravel  7.92-8.38.

 Tailings (with  sand  and
 gravel)  0.76-1.07,  (normal)
 1,07-3.32,  (oxidized-
 contamination?)  3.32-3.35,
 (normal) 3.35-5.33;  gravel
 5.33-6.10.

 Tailings (mixed  with gravel)
 1.52-2.13,  (high clay)
 2.13-2.44,  (silty) 2.44-
 2.74,  (normal, wet)  2.74-
 3.35,  (normal) 3.35-6.86;
 gravel 6.86-7.01.

 Tailings 0.76-4.82,  minor
 oxidized zone (contamina-
 tion?) at 3.05;  gravel
 4.82-5.18.

 Sand and  tailings 1.52-
 2.74; no  recovery 2.74-
 3.05; sand and gravel
 3.05-3.66.

 Gravel and sand 0-2.74.

 Tailings  (normal) 0.61-
 1.52, (no recovery) 1.52-
 2.13, (sandy and silty)
 2.13-3.35, (silty)  3.35-
 3.96, (with pebbles)
 3.96-4.57, (normal) 4.57-
6.40, (clay rich) 6.40-
7.01,(normal) 7.01-7.38;
gravel  7.38-7.47.
(continued)
                                     159

-------
TABLE G-l.  (continued)
Site and
hole no.
McLaren
mill site
(continued)

   34C
   35C
   36d
Altitude
of land
surface (m)
Depth
 (m)
2327.76
              6,71
Casing
 (m)
8.23    Yes, 6.10
        Yes, 4.!
             11.49    Yes, 7.13
McLaren
mine site
no
m
112
113
114
115
Au 1

2944
2934
2954
2944
2925
2937
__

.51
.61
.07
.04
.28
.33
e

3.
2.
2.
3.
3.
3.
5.

51
99
04
69
02
96
18

Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes,
Yes

3.
3.
2.
3.
3.
4.


66
05
13
96




f
35^
27

f

Comments
(measurements in m)
             Tailings 0.76-8.14, oxi-
             dized zones at 1.13, 2.74-
             3.35 interval, creek over-
             flow? or "dirt" in 2.13-
             2.74 interval; gravel  8.14-
             8.23.

             Tailings 2.29-2.90, and
             3.05-4.27; gravel  2.90-
             3.05 and 4.27-4.57; gravel
             with sand lenses 4.57-5.12;
             boulders 5.12-6.71.

             Gravel 0-3.05 and 4.11-
             6.10; sand (trace pyrite)
             3.05-4.11; sand and
             gravel 6.10-6.77; granite
             6.77-11.19.
                                                   Oxidized sulfide ores,
                                                   0-3.51.

                                                   Oxidized wastes (some
                                                   sulfides) 0-2.99.

                                                   Oxidized and weathered
                                                   soil  0-1.83.

                                                   Oxidized wastes (some
                                                   sulfides) 0-3.69.

                                                   Oxidized wastes 0-3.02.

                                                   Soil  and waste 0-3.96.

                                                   Oxidized rock and soil
                                                   0-5.18;  dry.
(continued)
                                     160

-------
 TABLE G-l.  (continued)
 Site and
 hole no.
 McLaren
 mine site
 (continued)

    Au 2
Altitude
of land
surface (m)
Depth   Casing
 (m)     (m)
              6.86    Yes
   Au  3
              6.86     Yes
   Au 4
   Au 5
             3.05
       Yes
             8.38    Yes
 Comments9
 (measurements in m)
 Silt, sand,  and sulfides
 (outer surface oxidized
 but centers  fresh)  0-4.88;
 "gravelly",  poor recovery
 4.88-5.49; finer material —
 silt, sand,  and small
 pebbles;  6.10-6.86—not
 sure—may be weathered
 bedrock.

 Gravel  and wastes (strongly
 oxidized) 0-0.91; gravel
 and wastes 0.91-2.13; mine
 wastes, clay,  silt- and
 sand-size, wet  at 3.05,
 oxidized  2.13-5.03; coarse
 wastes  5.03-6.10; soft
 wastes  (predominantly clay)
 6.10-6.71; gravel 6.71-
 6.86.

 Oxidized clay with ore
 pebbles 0-2.13; cobbles of
 bedrock? 2.13-3.05.

 Clay- and silt-size wastes
 0-1.83, coarse mine waste
 1.83-2.44; clay- and silt-
 size waste 2.44-3.66;
coarse (gravel to cobble
 size) waste 3.66-3.96;
fairly soft clay, silt-
and sand-size material
3.96-7.92; sand-size pyrite
and rock pebbles 7.92-8.38;
oxidized to  bottom 0.46.
TD very hard  drilling
(cobbles to  boulders?).
(continued)
                                     161

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TABLE G-l.   (continued)
Site and
hole no.
McLaren
mine site
(continued)

   Au 6
   212


   Au 1
Altitude
of land
surface (m)
Depth
2970.55
1.37
             13.72
Casing
 (m)
              5.49    Yes
Glengary
mine site
21
21
0
1
2963.
2970.
50
45
1
2
.83
.50
Yes,
Yes,
1
o
.83
.74
Yes, 1.37f


Yes, 12.19
Comments
(measurements in m)
                     Sand, minor clay and some
                     ore pebbles 0-3.05;
                     increasingly coarser
                     material  becoming damp
                     3.05-4.57; gravel- and sand-
                     size waste 4.57-5.49; TD
                     on hard material (boulder?).
Soil 0-1.83.

Soil 0-1.83; weathered
bedrock 1.83-2.50.

Soil 0-1.07; weathered
bedrock 1.07-1.37.

Blue-gray sulfides and clay;
harder at 13.41-13.72.
a At mill site, the first 0.46-1.52 m is material  added in recontouring
     unless otherwise noted.
£ Altitude of casing top (land surface is about 1  m lower).
*: Split spoon core holes.
d Diamond drill core holes.
^ Altitude not determined.
  50.8 mm (outside diam.) pipe for water-level measurements only.
                                     162

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                                                                         APPENDIX H




                                                        TABLE  H-l.  WATER LEVELS  - McLAREN MILL SITE3

Station
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
1973 1973 1974
Oct. November Feb. March May
3 8 30 25 22 14
"b " -- — — 11.13
15.85 15.79 15.79 scc sc sc
10.79
8.64
9.18 9.79 8.99 9.03 sc 9.44
7-38 6.29 6.69 6.38 5.99 9.57
7.62
--
10.13 10.24 10.27 10.21 10.57 11.54
10.22
—
—
--
—
	 	 	 	 _

21
12.47
sc
11.98
8.69
9.90
9.45
7.65
—
11.73
10.66
_.
	
	
	


29
13.98
16.86
—
10.67
11.55
10.64
9.05
9.02
12.47
12.28
__
..
„
..


June
6
13.99
18.18
13.27
11.28
12.02
10.98
9.64
9.73
12.93
12.99
	





10
13.93
18.20
13.06
11.01
11.81
10.91
9.46
9.71
12.87
• 12.94
..





17
13.56
16.27
13.11
11.38
11.49
11.13
9.88
9.98
12.97
13.06






25
13.55
16.15
13.02
11.62
11.47
11.18
10.06
10.26
13.00
13.08






July
1
13.25
16.11
12.79
11.34
11.51
11.12
9.89
10.46
12.90
12.81






8
12.91
16.12
12.40
10.92
11.45
11.01
9.57
10.34
12.47
12.35






16
12.46
16.07
11.63
10.49
11.38
10.93
9.25
10.10
12.22
11.94






1974
24
11.90
16.01
11.75
9.98
11.31
10.81
11.88
9.76
11.93
11.84





(continued)

-------
    TABLE H-l (continued)
Station
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
303
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
1974
July
29
11.60
15.98
11.34
9.75
11.25
10.71
8.63
9.60
11.79
11.32
—
—
—
—
—
August
5
10.98
16.12
10.93
9.29
10.33
10.66
3.26
9.33
11.59
10.82
—
--
—
--
.-
12
—
16.


06
10.36
8.
11.
10.
7.
9.
11.
10.
—
—
8.
—
--
73
06
47
80
01
51
50


21


20
—
15.74
9.91
8.26
10.93
9.90
7.37
8.65
11.54
10.27
—
--
8.11
—
--
26
—

15.96
9.
8.
49
38
11.09
9.
7.
8.
11.
10.
—
—
7.
—
—
67
44
65
54
13


83


September
6
-
15
9
7
10
9
- 6
8
11
10
-
11
-
-
-
-
.93
.28
.67
.64
.09
.69
.21
.48
.01
-
.10
-
-
-
October
13 24 1 7
_.
15.97 15.90 15.92 15.96
--
7.36
10.43 10.30 10.23 10.13
8.70 3.10 7.31 7.63
6.20
3.04 7.43 7,25 7.12
11.45 11.41 11.25 11.38
9.75 9.17 8.95 8.76
..
—
„
..
-.
1974
November
14 22 6 11 18 26
--
15.94 15.93 15.90 15.90 15.39 15.88
•
—
10.07 9.98 10.17 9.80 9.80 9.67
7.63 7.47 7.41 7.39 7.34 7.30
—
7.04 6.36 6.97 6.89 6.75 6.55
11.34 11.32 11.27 11.26 11.32 11.21
—
—
_.
—
--
—
(continued)

-------
            TABLE H-l  (continued)

                      Decker                      19?5                                                                                                     1975

            301
            302        15.83     15.85     15.82    15.81    15.79    -       -        -       15.86    15.81      sc       sc     sc      sc       sc        sc
            303         --
            304
            305
            306
—>          307
01          308
            310
            311
            312
            313
            314
            315
            316


          (continued)
9.63
7.28
6.37
11.20
9.60
7.31
6.79
11.17
9.48
7.25
6.83
11.15
9.39
7.25
6.53
11.08
9.32
7.09
6.40
11.17
9.22
6.99
6.27
11.05
9.16
6.95
6.39
11.01
9.15
7.20
6.99
10.95
9.24
6.73
6.37
10.36
9.03
6.21
6.29
10.47
8.98
6.20
6.31
10.65
8.90
5.96
6.31
10.51
8.80
—
6.18
10.41
8.57
--
5.93
10.40
8.45      8.25
5.88      5.86

-------
            TABLE H-l  (continued)

                          1975
                         April
            Station       19         14       23       30
               301
               302        sc         sc        sc       sc       sc
               303
               304
               305        8.12       7.88      7.84.     7.76     7.75
               306
—•             307
en
***             308        5.76       5.32      5.26
               310
               311
               312
               313
               314
              315
              316
            (continued)
Hay
8 17
12.36
sc sc
13.73
—
7.57 11.44
11.61
--
9.02
—
—
—
—
19 27
14.22 12.53
sc sc
9.52
7.67
11.60 8.84
8.03
6.51
9.64 8.53
10.58
9.56
-.
._
June
5
13
17
13
10
11
11
8
.93
.13
.73
.34
.99
.61
.89
9.95
12
11
13
-•
.30
.26
.60

8.20
--
	
—
__
10,
12.
.91
,04
12
14.09
17.12
13.09
11.16
11.97
10.83
9.49
9.52
12.51
12.42
14.55
12.64
dry
11.53
13.36
17
14
16

.09
.64
13.31
11
11
11
.41
.83
.05
9.75
9
12
12
14
13.
7
11
13
.67
.83
.81
.67
.36
.76
.73
.34
22
13.41
16.57
13.01
11.07
12.12
10.96
9.56
9.67
12.73
12.64
14.44
13.58
8.00
11.37
13.03
July
1
13
16
12
11
n
10
.37
.18
.84
.32
.36
.92
9.83
9
12
12
13
14
8
.94
.74
.78
.76
,55
.34
12.91
13
.23
9
13.80
16.33
13.23
11.84
11.57
11.24
10.22
10.36
13.11
13.20
14.06
14.36
8.68
12.17
13.80
1975
20
13.41
16.21
12.94
11.55
11 .52
11.17
10.07
10.59
12.91
12.94
13.80
13.94
9.26
11 .80
13.30

-------
TABLE H-l (continued)
Station
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
310
311
312
313
. 314
315
316
1975
July
29
13.04
16.10
12.55
11.22
11.49
11.08
3.82
10.57
12.64
12.61
—
13.63
9.65
11.46
12.84
August
4
12.73
16.15
12.27
ld.87
11.47
10.98
9.57
10.40
12.40
12.25
--
13.43
9.26
11.09
12.43
13
12.22
15.98
11.81
10.50
11.34
10.81
9.26
10.20
12.14
11.82
—
13.25
9.11
10.70
11.98
19
11.80
16.07
11.54
10.15
11.32
10.79
9.00
10.04
11.98
11.63
—
13.18
9.03
10.33

26
11.31
16.11
11.21
9.81
11.21
10.67
8.73
9.85
11.72
11.41
—
13.03
8.85


September
4 9
—
16.00
10.73
9.40
11.05
10.28
8.39
9.65
11.37
11.09
—
12.75
8.54


--
15.98
10.32
8.78
10.96
9.90
7.84
9.52
11.36
10.86
—
12.57
8.37


1975
22
--
16.05
9.29
7.72
10.65
9.21
6.71
9.02
11.31
10.12
—
12.03
7.78


* Elevation is 2316.48 m.  All measurements are in m.
b Dash indicates no measurable water level in well.
c Snow cover, well not located and measured.

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                                   TECHNICAL REPORT DATA
                            {Please read Instructions on the reverse before completing)
1, REPORT fVO.
  EPA-600/2-77-224
                                                            3. RECIPIENT'S ACCESSION-NO.
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
  Mine Drainage Control from Metal Mines  in a Subalpine
  Environment  - A  Feasibility Study
             5, REPORT DATE
              November 1977  issuing date
             6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION CODE
7. AUTHOR(S)
                                                            8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NO.
9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS
  Montana Department of Natural Resources  and
    Conservation
  32 South Ewing
  Helena, Montana   59601
              10. PROGRAM ELEMENT NO.

                1BB604
              11. CONTRACT/GRANT NO.
                Grant  S 802671
12. SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRFSS
  Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory -  cin.,OH
  Office of Research  and  Development
  U.S.  Environmental  Protection Agency
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
              13. TYPE OF REPORT AND PERIOD COVERED
                Final/.June 1975 - August  '7'
              14. SPONSORING AGENCY CODE
                EPA/600/12
15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
16. ABSTRACT
       Investigations of the McLaren  mine and mill areas  and the Glengary mine
  area in the vicinity of Cooke City,  Montana, were undertaken from July 1973
  through September 1975, to examine  the acid mine drainage (.AMD) from these
  sources and determine the feasibility of rehabilitating these subalpine
  mining areas  and mill area.  A biological study was  conducted to determine
  the existing  degraded biological  conditions of streams  affected by AMD and
  the extent of reclamation necessary to restore a viable fishery to the
  stream.

       Reclamation proposed includes  recontouring and  revegetating land sur-
  faces, sealing shafts in the mine area, and isolating the tailings from
  Soda Butte  ureek.
17.
                                KEY WORDS AMD DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
                  DESCRIPTORS
b.lDENTIFIERS/OFEN ENDED TERMS
                                                Subalpine
                                                Montana
                                                                           COSATI Field/Group
                                                                          - tm/D -
Mining
Tailings
Reclamation
Water quality
Geology
Hydrology
Bioassay
Expenses
Heavy metals
Fish tissue
                                                Cooke City
                                                Stillwater River
                                                Clarke  Tbrk
                                                Soda Butte
                                                McLaren Mine
                                                Acid mine  drainage
                                 08/G
                                 08/H
                                 08/1
                                 08/M
                                 08/B
                                 08/A
13. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT

    RELEASE TO PUBLIC
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   Unclassified
                           21.
                                                                           NO. OF PAGES
                                                                            178
                                              2n. SECURITY CLASS (Thispage/
                                                  Unclassified
                                                                          22. PRICE
EPA Form 2220-1 (9-73)
                                            168
                      ir 11.5. EOVEBNMENT PRINTING OFFICE-1578— 757-140/6633

-------