Restore Mining Cleanups Mike Horse Mine
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Learn more: The USFS proposed actions for the Mike Horse mine site The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are collaborating on the cleanup of the Mike Horse mine site, located at the headwaters of the Blackfoot River near Lincoln. DEQ has been reviewing new sites as well as previously evaluated sites for a safe repository location for mine waste. It’s not easy to place a repository in a headwaters area. One spot that seems better than others in respect to topography is known as section 35. Although DEQ still needs more information on groundwater levels here, it may be the best site for the mine waste, from an environmental perspective. But there’s a catch; section 35 is only a quarter mile from the nearest residence. At the CFC, we'd like DEQ to seriously consider constructing a new, off-highway haul road if this site is selected, as we think hauling this volume of waste on public highways is dangerous. A new road would cost more, but the payoffs in human health and safety would be worth it. STAY TUNED: We'll keep you updated on developments at the defunct Mike Horse Mine site. Download our comments to the USFS. Read the Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex study at: www.deq.mt.gov. The public comment period is now closed. Download our comments on the Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex Repository Siting Study here. Finding suitable places to store the basin's toxic old mining waste is no simple task. At the defunct Mike Horse Mine near Lincoln, MT, the "siting challenge" for one million cubic yards of tailings is taking years to resolve and is holding up cleanup. Yet with the contaminants sitting at the headwaters of the Blackfoot, it's time to get a move-on ... before a spring runoff does the job, instead. "Section 35" may be a viable location. But before cleanup moves forward, the agencies should: History History When people hear the words “Blackfoot” and “River,” most conjure up visions of one of Montana’s renowned dream streams-- water tumbling from mountains cut out by the ice age, pristine habitat and shelter, wild sustenance, food-- the simple pulse of life. This is an accurate snapshot of the Blackfoot, yes-- but it doesn’t tell the full story. The full story includes the massive tailings dam looming over the river’s very origins at the Continental Divide. In the 1940s, miners used metals-laced tailings to build the Mike Horse dam. Their idea was that a tailings dam would contain and manage their toxic mining waste. The selected dam site was across the mouth of Beartrap Creek just above its confluence with Mike Horse Creek-- where the Blackfoot River officially begins. The shallow reservoir behind the dam became the resting place for metals-laced tailings from the Mike Horse Mine as well as other gold, copper, and zinc mines scattered around the river's headwaters. Unfortunately, these metals didn’t always stay put. In 1975, the Mike Horse tailings dam blew out, and the mine waste became a serious polluting menace to the Blackfoot. Deadly levels of lead, copper, and zinc dumped into the upper Blackfoot. The mine's corporate owner, ASARCO, rebuilt the dam shortly thereafter, and a half-hearted, fairly ineffective cleanup of the river's headwaters has slogged along since 1975. Then, in 1993, the situation at Mike Horse took a serious wrong turn. Instead of declaring Mike Horse a state Superfund site, Montana’s Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) agreed to let ASARCO experiment with a “voluntary” cleanup. The state was attracted to the voluntary cleanup idea because they felt the cleanup would be immediate. Unfortunately, it wasn't even close, and now ASARCO is sinking into bankruptcy. To further complicate matters, the cleanup is on federal, state, and private land, which mires the project in jurisdictional squabbling. Possibly the biggest threat at the Mike Horse site is the safety of the shored-up tailings dam. The base of the dam is constructed with two million cubic yards of toxic tailings, and water is seeping out, indicating that the dam could be eroding from within. Furthermore, the dam’s spillway is not up to standards, and puts the structure at risk of overtopping in a large flood. On top of these concerns, there are threats of earthquakes in the geologically active upper Blackfoot. We need a permanent fix for the dam, and soon. The good news is that thanks to public comments from over 8,000 citizens and hard work by conservation organizations, the Forest Service recently decided to implement a complete removal of the Mike Horse Tailings Dam, selecting the option of complete removal from among its alternatives in its Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA). The dam will be dismantled, mine tailings will be moved to high and dry land and stored in a safe repository, and the headwaters of the Blackfoot will be given an opportunity to heal after a quarter-century of enduring intense pollution. Other impaired stretches of the Blackfoot have been on the receiving end of millions of restoration dollars and miles of conservation legwork from landowners, environmental groups, and agency specialists. And it’s paying off in the form of cleaner water, healthier streambanks, and increased native trout populations. In fact, there’s been a marked and measurable difference in the vitality of the river these last 15 years. What’s more, the state of Montana and the Forest Service are planning multi-million dollar cleanups of the worst of the tailings that the dam deposited in the upper river after it blew out in 1975. In the context of these giant cleanup investments, it would be foolish to leave a permanent metals-laden hazard looming at the very head of the watershed, threatening to undo all that's been accomplished thus far. At the Clark Fork Coalition, we have pledged our support and technical input on the cleanup design and implementation. First, we will be tracking the Forest Service and the state's negotiations with ASARCO and ARCO to fund dam removal and cleanup. We will be involved in the state's efforts to restore stream channels and habitat in the upper Blackfoot and Beartrap Creek post-dam removal, and we will monitor data collection and cleanup protocol for the remainer of the Mike Horse Mine site-- the adit, upper Beartrap Creek, and water treatment systems. The following resources provide a fuller picture of the history, challenges, and opportunities at the Mike Horse mine: Mike Horse Dam fact sheet (produced by the Clark Fork Coalition) (PDF, 2.1MB, 2 pages) Mike Horse Dam FAQ (produced by the Clark Fork Coalition) (PDF, 1.0MB, 2 pages) Studies show Mike Horse dam slowly deteriorating, Eve Byron, Helena Independent Record, 5 Jan. 2005 Wounding the West: Montana, Mining, and the Environment , by David Stiller, University of Nebraska Press, 2000 (212 pages, photos, maps) Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex, Reclamation Activities and Accomplishments (a Montana DEQ website for details about cleanup work) |
