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NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
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Abandoned Mine Cleanup Reduces Metals in Cramer Creek
Waterbody Improved
Excess metal pollution in Cramer Creek caused by an abandoned
mine drainage site impaired the stream's ability to support its
beneficial uses. As a result, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) added Cramer
Creek to the state's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2000, In 2005
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began mine reclamation efforts, and by 2014 Cramer Creek
was removed from the impaired waters list for arsenic, lead and mercury.
Problem
Cramer Creek is a 12-rrnle tributary that joins the Clark
Fork River about 25 miles east of Missoula, Montana
(Figure 1). Between 1947 and 1955, the Linton mine
(formerly known as the Blacktail mine) produced silver,
lead, zinc and copper ores. DEQ identified this mine as
a probable source of many impairments on the creek,
including sediment in 1988; arsenic, copper, lead and
mercury in 2000; physical substrate habitat alterations
in 2006; and aluminum in 2014. In addition to mining,
this 26.5-square-mile watershed has an ongoing his-
tory of timber harvest. These impairments caused the
creek to fail to meet state water quality standards for
recreation, drinking water or aquatic life uses.
Story Highlights
DEQ's Remediation Division included the Linton
mine as a Priority Abandoned Mine and referred the
project to the BLM, which manages the mine land. In
2004-2005, the BLM led reclamation activities that
removed 130,000 cubic yards of mine waste from a
1,700-foot reach of floodplain and stream channel
across public and private property (Figure 2). The mine
waste was transported to a repository or used to fill
open adits. Additionally, the BLM replaced a culvert
with a bridge to aid in reducing road-related sediment
inputs to Cramer Creek. In 2006, the BLM installed
approximately 7,500 willow, alder and dogwood stakes
along the project reach, and they used fascines to sta-
bilize reconstructed banks. In 2007, large woody debris
structures were added to the stream, and 350 potted
trees and shrubs were planted along streambanks in
the public portion of the project reach. Monitoring
showed 80% survival of planted trees and shrubs after
Figure 1. Cramer Creek is in western Montana.
2 years; by 2009, vegetation covered 60%-80% of
streambanks along the reconstructed channel.
Total maximum daily load (TMDL) documents address
the remaining impairments on Cramer Creek. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved
the Bonita-Superior Metals TMDLs in 2013, which set
target concentrations for Cramer Creek of 87 micro-
grams per liter ([ig/L) aluminum, 5.6 |ig/L lead during
high flows and 8.38 [ig/L lead during low flows. These
targets correspond to 82%) 34%, and 46% reductions
in metals concentrations, respectively.
Much of the land in the Cramer Creek watershed was
formerly owned by Plum Creek Timber Company and
has since been purchased by a partnership between
The Nature Conservancy and Montana State Trust
Lands. The purchase was part of the Montana Legacy
Cramer Crsek

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Cramer Creek remains impaired for alumi-
num and lead, and sampling distributions
suggest lead pollution is linked to the mine.
Therefore, lead concentrations in Cramer
Creek may decrease as maturing vegetation
continues to stabilize soil and intercept
runoff. Aluminum exceedances only occur
during runoff conditions, which suggests
that this impairment cause is sediment related.
Figure 2. Photos show the same area pre-project (top left), after
waste removal in 2004 (top right), during seeding and mulching in
2004 (bottom left), and post-project in 2006 (bottom right).
Sediment impairments may be alleviated by changes
in timber harvest practices. However, additional land
management practices must be implemented to
remove all impairments on Cramer Creek. Although
the watershed has an ongoing history of logging, the
passage of the Streamside Management Zone law in
1991 limited timber harvest within 50-100 feet of
streams and within adjacent wetlands. The lower reach
of Cramer Creek exhibits severe habitat impacts and
sediment loading from bank erosion caused by grazing
and from channelization to accommodate roads and
irrigation. These impacts to stream morphology are
likely limiting sediment transport and sorting.
Table 1. Cramer Creek metals levels (2009-2011 data,
post-mine reclamation).

Most stringent,
Maximum

hardness-adjusted
concentration detected
Parameter
standard
(number of samples)
Arsenic
10 pg/l
3 M-g/L (21)
Copper
8.61 |ig/L
2 M-g/L (21)
Mercury
0.05 |ig/L
0.0089 |ig/L (15)
EPA approved the Central Clark Fork Basin Tributaries
TMDLs and Water Quality Improvement Plan in 2014,
which established a 57% reduction in sediment loads
in Cramer Creek. The TMDL plans included restora-
tion strategies and a call for the development of a
watershed restoration plan to identify continued water
quality improvement activities.
Partners and Funding
Partners involved in the mine reclamation project
Include BLM, which manages the mine land; the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, which administered the
reclamation efforts; and private landowners in the
watershed. BLM staff and volunteers completed
revegetation on the reclamation project. Consultants
on the project included Reclamation Research
Group, LLC.; Pioneer Technical Services, inc.; and
Smith Contracting, Inc. BLM funded the reclamation,
revegetation and fisheries improvements, totaling
$1,900,000. Montana State Trust Lands and The
Nature Conservancy continue to manage much of the
land throughout the watershed. DEQ contributed staff
time and resources to conduct monitoring and assess-
ment activities and to develop the TMDLs.
Project and includes Cramer Creek in a
mosaic of more than 310,000 acres of land
dedicated for preserving wildlife habitat and
water resources and sustaining recreational
and economic viability.
DEQ iast assessed Cramer Creek In 2013
using data collected in 2009-2011, just 2-4
years after the BLM completed revegetation
efforts. The results prompted DEQ to remove
arsenic, copper and mercury from the 2014
impairment list and link these achievements
to reclamation activities (Tabie 1).
&
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA EPA 841-F-20-001Y
October 2020
For additional information contact:
Hannah Riedl
Montana Department of Environmental Quality
406-444-0549 • hannah.riedl@mt.gov

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