Meeting Guidelines • If you are participating on a computer, tablet, or smartphone you can ask questions by writing them in the chat window and sending directly to Katherine Jenkins. – We will point out the chat window at the start of the meeting. – Katherine will monitor the chat window for questions and comments from participants. – If you are participating by phone, text questions to Katherine’s cell (720-930-0842) as the chat window is not available for phone participants. – We will write the questions down as they come in and review them for everyone in the middle and end of the presentation. • Thank you all for joining and for working with us on this new virtual meeting format. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]or [email protected]We will begin shortly… COLORADO • .. Department of Public - Health & Environment
Transcript
Meeting Guidelines
• If you are participating on a computer, tablet, or smartphone you can ask questions by writing them in the chat window and sending directly to Katherine Jenkins.– We will point out the chat window at the start of the meeting.– Katherine will monitor the chat window for questions and comments from participants.– If you are participating by phone, text questions to Katherine’s cell (720-930-0842) as the
chat window is not available for phone participants.– We will write the questions down as they come in and review them for everyone in the
middle and end of the presentation.
• Thank you all for joining and for working with us on this new virtual meeting format. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or [email protected]
– Fish/bug populations impacted– High metals, low pH drives risk
• Finalized Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA)– Exposures limited to camping (not ATV)– Two dispersed campsite areas to be addressed under IROD– Two additional campsite areas to be further evaluated
• Terrestrial BERA– Sample collection complete– To be finalized fall 2020
Remedial Investigation• Goal: Multi-year characterization of
nature and extent of contamination across the site, determine how contaminants are transported
• High flow/low flow surface water sampling
• Monthly surface water and draining mines sampling
Water sensors deployed in 2019 to collect surface water data
• American Tunnel Well– Monitoring well installed August 2019
between bulkheads 2 and 3– Improve understanding of water levels
in the tunnel and connection with larger Bonita Peak groundwater system.
• BPMD 2016-2018 Seeps, Springs, and Draining Mines Characterization Report– MSI
Groundwater System
Sampling locations for seeps, springs, and draining mine characterizations
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Mayflower Remedial Investigation• Remedial investigation (RI) for OU2 is ongoing
– SGC is conducting the RI– Additional RI work planned for 2020– Evaluate nature and
extent of sources andfate and transport of contaminants
Example visual model of Mayflower Mill area
High-Flow Conditi,ons, Dissolved M angan-es-e
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Dissolved Mn in GW / Seep = ~200 ug/l Disso lved M n in SW = 556 ug/l
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Response Actions• Response Actions pursuant to
2019 IROD• Kittimac sludge management• Ben Franklin work by DRMS and
property owner• Ongoing interim water treatment
plant (IWTP) operations Ben Franklin Limestone Channel
Interim Remedial Actions• Interim Record of Decision
(IROD) finalized in May 2019– 23 source areas
• IROD work at Henrietta mine completed– Soil debris removal– Mine drainage control
Henrietta mine
Ben Franklin• DRMS safety closure at Ben Franklin
mine to– Eliminate open stope hazard along roadway– Prevent infiltration into closure and adit– Amend the backfill surface– Amend and revegetate the waste rock
buffering for adit discharge; Adit discharge channel alignment
Before stope closure
After stope closure
IWTP Sludge Management at Kittimac• Sludge from IWTP stabilized with Kittimac tailings• Site revegetated and fenced• Groundwater monitoring wells installed
Kittimac site
Community Involvement• Finalized Community Involvement Plan• Revised Southern Ute Indian Tribe
– Innovative technologies– Risk assessments– Initial site goals– Selected site strategy
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Innovative Technologies• Biocement pilot study at Kittimac• Fiber optic distributed temperature
sensors (FO-DTS)• Centrifuge study at Gladstone
treatment plant• Pilot testing plans for in-situ
stabilization at 2 waste rock piles• Fort Lewis College autonomous
robotics testing in Gold King MineExample of data from FO-DTS. Blue shows highly conductive zones where subsurface water may be in connection with or close to the stream.
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State of Colorado 2019• ASARCO
– 3D aerial imagery and modeling of Silver Lake basin completed
• Amy and Aspen– Site characterization field work completed
• Health and Safety Training – With EPA assistance, completed free 8-hour
and 40-Hour OSHA Health and Safety Trainings to 31 people
• DRMS Ben Franklin safety closure and remedial action contractor for property owner
COLOR:ADO Hazardous Materials & Waste Management Division Department of Public 1--fealt & Envi ·onment
COLORADO Division of Reclamation, Mining and S,af,ety
Department of Natural Resources
US Forest Service 2019• LiDAR• Environmental DNA
– Rocky Mountain Research Station has led the collection of aquatic genetic material to determine local fish species occurrence
Questions?• Please send your questions, if you haven’t already, via chat
to Katherine Jenkins
• Katherine will be tracking questions and responding to you directly via chat. She will let you know your question has been received.
Planned 2020 Work
EPA 2020 Priority Activities• Site Management Plan• IWTP Operation and
maintenance• Sitewide repository planning• Oversight of Mayflower Remedial
Investigation• Continue remedial actions
• Develop of Upper Animas and Groundwater System Remedial Investigation work plan
• Red & Bonita bulkhead test• Standardizing private property
access requests
• BPMD Superfund site selected to conduct an Adaptive Management (AM) pilot study– Develop a Site Management Plan
(SMP) which will provide a framework for achieving site goals by:
• Establishing priority areas for future work
• Planning for continued monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive management
Site Management PlanEPA Site Goals
1) Improve water quality with focus on mine drainage
2) Stabilize source areas with a focus on solid media
3) Minimize unplanned releases
Site Management Plan• Selected strategy focuses on the Bonita Peak
Groundwater System and Upper Animas mine drainages– RI/FS and bulkheading of mine drainages connected
to groundwater system (OU3)– RI/FS of Upper Animas source areas
• Site Management Plan actions will take place concurrently with ongoing work at the BPMD site– Gladstone IWTP– Sitewide repository– Work pursuant to 2019 IROD
Upper Cement Creek and Upper Animas source areas of focus for selected site strategy
• Development of SMP is ongoing– CAG and Silverton Planning Group will review draft documents as
they are available. – Final SMP released to public in September 2020
• Community Involvement with SMP– EPA will present the final SMP in Digging Deeper public meeting – Fact sheets will explain sections in an overview format
Site Management Plan Schedule
Gladstone IWTP• Plant upgrades:
– Tentative completion summer 2020– Based on recommendations from
2019 safety and operational assessment
– Ensure operational stability and continuous, year-round operation
Gladstone IWTP
Sitewide Repository• Goal: manage IWTP sludge and mining wastes as
EPA implements future remediation activities
• Looking to site on Mayflower impoundment(s)
• Geotechnical field investigations conducted in Fall 2019 evaluated impoundment stability– All four impoundments would be geotechnically stable
for repository placement
• Pre-design geotechnical evaluations to ensure construction material compatibility
Drilling soil borings as part of repository geotechnical investigations
Sitewide Repository Schedule• Goal: sitewide repository operational by spring/summer
2021• Preliminary milestone dates:
– Proposed Plan, Feasibility Study, Public Meeting and Public Comment Period: June 2020
– Repository Interim Record of Decision: Fall 2020– Repository Design: Fall 2020 – Winter 2020/2021– Construction: Spring 2021
1. Remove sediment from pond2. Maintain flow path for discharging
water3. Address elevated soil
concentrations
2020 Remedial ActivitiesNatalie/Occidental
1. Maintain flow path for discharging water
Remedial Investigation Planning• Multi-year sampling effort• Goal: Determine nature and extent of contamination, fate and
transport of contaminants – Soil, surface water, groundwater, sediment, mine waste
sampling • 2020 will focus on identifying data gaps and data collection
needs in future– Emphasis Upper Animas and Bonita Peak groundwater
system
OU3 Groundwater System• Multi-year effort starting 2021• Goal is to understand:
– How ground water moves through mine workings
– How ground water impacts surface water
– What remedies would be effective at achieving goals
Three-dimensional model of Sunnyside, Red and Bonita, Mogul, and Gold King mine workings and conceptual groundwater surface
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Red and Bonita Bulkhead Test• Summer 2020• Head testing at:
– 50 ft hydraulic head– 100 ft hydraulic head
• Visual inspection of bulkhead• Sampling of nearby seeps and
springs, Cement Creek• End of test: draw down and treat
discharge at Gladstone treatment plant during draw down
Red and Bonita mine
• EPA working with property owners to acquire access agreements for work planned in next several years– Duration: 5 years– Goal: standardize process, minimize impacts to owners
through repetitive requests, increase project efficiency– Streamlined approach to include multiple properties by
same owner in one form– Interagency coordination
Private Property Access
US Forest Service 2020• Brooklyn mine May 2019 IROD
implementation– Mine Portal Mine-Influenced Water (MIW)
