Cottonwood Wash Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project: A

Partnership in Watershed Reclamation

Funding

• Federal Agencies: Interdepartmental Abandoned Mine Land Watershed Initiative Funds (Clean Water Action Plan)

• State: Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Abandoned Mine Land Funds

• Total funds expended approx. $1.5

Clean Water Action Plan• Watershed Restoration National Program• Described in the President’s Clean Water Action Plan of

1998• Funded by the Interdepartmental Abandoned Mine Land

Watershed Initiative• Purpose is for “Federal land managers to work in

partnership with State and Local agencies, tribes, and private parties to develop strategies for the restoration of watersheds affected by abandoned mines.”

Agency Partners

• USDA Forest Service• Bureau of Land Management• Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division

of Oil, Gas and Mining, Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program

• Utah Department of Environmental

Quality, Division of Water Quality

Project Organization• Steering Committee:

• Agency Directors • Ensure project priority and availability of resources• Provided dispute resolution

• Technical Committee:• Resource Specialist and appropriate Decision Makers

from each agency• Conducted project level work

Agency Contributions

• BLM contributed AML inventory, exploration road inventory, water quality testing, biological assessment, project archaeologist and radiological studies

• FS contributed biological evaluation and waste dump characterization study

• State contributed contract procurement and administration, construction over-site, bat surveys, and assisted in AML inventory

Authorities• Clean Water Act/Clean Water Action Plan• General Mining Law of 1872, as amended

• 43 CFR 3809 (BLM)• 36 CFR 228 (FS)

• Organic Act (FS)• Federal Land Policy Management Act (BLM)• Surface Resources Act of 1955• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of

1977

Site Selection: Why Cottonwood Wash?

• Mixed ownership: BLM, FS, State• Water • State priority watershed• Mining impacts

Cottonwood Wash Background• Description of the watershed - 143,000 acres,

ranging from 4,500 feet to 9,500 feet in elevation• BLM lands comprise 33%; USDA-FS, 60%; State,

4%; Tribal, 3%.• Mined for nearly 9 decades for vanadium and

uranium• Water sampling showed elevated gross alpha

radiation

What Are The Problems?

• Dangerous mine openings • Radon• Mined waste dumps/piles contributing sediment

and uranium to the stream • Exploration roads contributing sediment

What Are The Solutions?

• Close mines that present a risk to human health and welfare

• Stabilize mine waste dumps that are eroding into the streams and affecting water quality

• Reclaim unneeded access roads, mineral exploration roads and trails

• Stabilize the primary road in Cottonwood Wash

What Are The Reclamation Goals?

• Close the mine openings to protect the public from radon emissions and accidents

• Remove and/or reclaim waste piles and roads• Plug drill holes• Seed disturbed areas with native vegetation to

create habitat and reduce erosion

Project Approach Needed Studies/Surveys

• AML inventories• Water quality studies• Radiological surveys EPA and Oakridge National

Laboratory• Bat surveys • Cultural resource inventories• Exploration road surveys• Biological assessments and evaluations

Preparation Plan for the Environmental Assessment

• Writing Proposed Action• Identifying the purpose and need • Conformance with Land Use Plans• Scope of the EA (i.e. alternatives)• Scoping and public involvement• Authorizing decisions

Preparation Plan for the Environmental Assessment Continued• Strategy for preparation and contracting of the EA• Contractor selection process• Contract Administration • Data and information needs• Statement of work

Environmental Analysis

• Scoping • Internal• External (Public Meetings)

• Environmental Analysis (written by 3rd party contractor)

• Decision Record/FONSI (BLM) • Decision Notice/FONSI (FS)• FONSI – DOGM (Office of Surface Mining)

Cottonwood Wash Total Maximum Daily Load

(TMDL)• Elevated levels of gross alpha radiation in surface

water• Source identification and assessment• Discusses pollutant loading and required load

reduction• Control and Best Management Strategies• Monitoring plan

T & E SpeciesSection 7 Consultation

Cultural Resources• Full-time project archaeologist• 106 Compliance through Programmatic Agreement involving 7

signatories, addressed the following:• Prehistoric Cultural Resources

• Discovery Plan• Eligibility• Treatment• NAGPRA

• Historic Mining Resources• Interpretative Plan• Research • Avoidance • Preservation• Mitigation

Key Points of the Decision Record• A Ute Mountain Ute right-of-way required before

construction of hardened stream crossings 1-11 and graveling of the Cottonwood Wash Road.

• Abandoned mine sites will be reclaimed even if the State AMRP cannot obtain a right-of-entry. Reclamation will not endanger or materially interfere with prospecting, mining, or processing operations or uses reasonably incident thereto.

• Construction work will not proceed until programmatic Agreement filed with Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

Key Points of the Decision Record continued

• Certificate of Registration required for appropriate State personnel

• A vegetation avoidance strategy-penalty payment by the contractor for unnecessary disturbances.

• A monitoring plan would be developed and implemented upon completion of reclamation

• Construction activities will be monitored by the UDOGM, AMRP

• Construction noise and activity timed to reduce impacts on wildlife

Construction• Reclamation Groups (geographical)• Reclamation Phases (sequencing)• Specifications: written by DOGM with

modifications from partners• Project archaeologist played major role in design

development to avoid adverse impacts• DOGM issued construction contract and provided

management and oversight

Products• Compact Disc with all relevant GIS layers for all

partners • Preparation Plan• EA• TMDL Analysis• Cultural Survey Report• Radiological Interpretation Report of waste

dumps, water, openings, and millsite

Products and Milestones (continued)• Radiological interpretation of water quality data• Bat survey report• 3 issues of Blue Mountain Shadows (publication

of San Juan County Historical Commission): • Mining History of Cottonwood Wash • Pre-history of Cottonwood Wash

• Specifications for reclamation construction• Utah Geologic Assoc. newsletter

Media Coverage

• Salt Lake Tribune• San Juan County Record (Monticello)• Times Independent (Moab)• Radio and TV news coverage

Unique Challenges

• Cultural Resources (pre-pueblo ruins)• Active mining claimants and rights-of-entry• Historic mining districts• Wildlife (survey and construction guidelines)• Land ownership

Unique Challenges (continued)

• Determining appropriate players (representative from each organization and organizational level appropriate for your project)

• Communication and Agency Culture• Decision making

On the Ground Results

• North Black Mesa Butte• 6 BLM sites

• South Black Mesa Butte• 10 BLM sites

• East Black Mesa Butte• 5 BLM sites

Remaining Segments• West Black Mesa Butte

• 36 BLM sites• Mancos Jim Butte

• 3 FS sites and 2 BLM sites• Poison Canyon

• 9 FS sites• Chippean Rocks

• 7 FS sites