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Planning the Mitigation of Mining Pollution |  |
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Between the 1890s and 1980s, Mineral County land in the State of Colorado was used for metal mining. Willow Creek, a headwater tributary to the Rio Grande River, is located near the Town of Creede in Mineral County. The Willow Creek Watershed consists of 35 square miles in the south-central part of the state.
Planning Willow Creek RestorationContaminated water in the Willow Creek not only affects the chemical makeup of the waters in the Rio Grande River, but also negatively impacts the aesthetic and recreational values of the watershed. In late 1997, a coalition of over 35 local partners along with federal and state agencies formed the Willow Creek Reclamation Committee to address mine tailing pollution of the creek. This committee used an EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Grant through the State of Colorado to initiate a community- based approach to determine remediation needs and is in the process of drafting a longterm management program to improve Local citizens and organizations have much expertise in evaluating the mining impacts to the Willow Creek Watershed physical habitat and water quality in the watershed. The committee compiled a list of goals and objectives for Willow Creek as a part of the watershed management plan to address nonpoint source pollution from mine adit discharges and mine tailings. The partners seek to avert fish kills in the Rio Grande River and improve water quality in Willow Creek. They also hope to improve the physical, chemical, biological and visual aspects of the watershed. Assessing the Nonpoint Source Impact
The US Forest Service is tracing contamination in groundwater, and the US Geological Survey is similarly tracing contamination in area streams. The outcome of the first dye tracing phase suggests that the contamination in Willow Creek may be confined to a limited area. This result indicates that the Willow Creek Watershed management plan may be technically and financially realistic. Once the Willow Creek committees finish their watershed characterization work and finalize their nonpoint source pollution abatement strategy, then actual restoration work will proceed.
http://water.usgs.gov/owq/cleanwater/success/willow.html |
Mine entrances opened in the
mountains allowed water to flow
through parts of the Creede District
mines and mix with toxic substances.
Mine waste piles throughout
the creek also contributed to
nonpoint source pollution. As a
result, East and West Willow Creek
contain levels of zinc, dissolved
cadmium and lead well above state
water quality standards. For example,
in West Willow Creek, lead is
found at 82 times the Colorado
Table Value Standard. The State of
Colorado’s Nonpoint Source
Assessment Report and
Management Plan identifies the
Willow Creek Watershed as a high
priority area requiring nonpoint
source metal control.
Local citizens and organizations
have much expertise in evaluating
the mining impacts to the Willow
Creek Watershed. In addition,
numerous federal and state agencies
are assisting the local partners
in the planning phase of the Willow
Creek Watershed restoration project.
For example, the Army Corps
of Engineers is planning to fix a
flume through Creede, the USDA
Natural Resources Conservation
Service is designing stream-channel
reconstruction and EPA and DOI
are involved in sampling events.
The Colorado Department of
Minerals and Geology is in charge
of controlling physical hazards to
prevent future contaminant releases
while preserving historic structures.