Revised Appendix G (July 20, 2017)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
July 20, 2017 Herb Rolfes Hard Rock Mining Bureau, Section Supervisor Montana Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 200901 Helena, MT 59620-0901 Subject: Revised Appendix G to the Tintina Montana, Inc. - Mine Operating Permit Application Black Butte Copper Project, Meagher County, MT, Revision 3 Dear Herb: On behalf of Tintina Montana, Inc., Black Butte Copper Project, I am enclosing two hard copies, on 3- hole paper, of the May 2017 version of the 2016 Baseline Aquatic Surveys and Assessment of Streams report to replace the version submitted as Appendix G of the Mine Operating Permit Application on July 14, 2017. I apologize for not getting the latest version of Appendix G into the Revision 3 appendix. I provided an electronic copy of the revised Appendix G to Craig Jones via email today, and will forward an electronic copy to you with this transmittal. If you have any questions, please call me at 406-437-9822. Sincerely, J. Edward Surbrugg, Ph.D. BBC Project MEPA Manager Enclosures cc: Tintina Montana, Inc. (Jerry Zieg, John Shanahan) Geomin Resources, Inc. (Allan Kirk) Montana Biological Survey (Dave Stagliano) 7 West 6th Avenue, Suite 612, Helena, MT 59601 Tel 406.442.5588 Fax 406.442.7182 www.tetratech.com 2016 Baseline Aquatic Surveys and Assessment of Streams in the Tintina Black Butte Copper Project Area of Meagher County, MT Prepared for: TIntina Resources, Inc. P.O. Box 431 White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645 Sheep Creek AQ3 fall fish survey upstream of Little Sheep Creek Prepared by: David Stagliano, Aquatic Ecologist Montana Biological Survey Helena, Montana May 2017 Tintina Resources Black Butte Copper Project Baseline Aquatic Surveys Montana Biological Survey May 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................ii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 1 2.0 METHODS ..................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 LITERATURE/DATABASE SEARCHES .................................................................................. 4 2.2 HABITAT / WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENTS ...................................................................... 4 2.3 FISH COMMUNITY SURVEYS ............................................................................................... 6 2.3.1 Population Estimates ......................................................................................................... 6 2.3.2 Pit-tagged Fish .................................................................................................................. 7 2.3.3 Fish Tissue Analysis .......................................................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Redd Counts ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 FRESHWATER MUSSEL SURVEYS .....................................................................................10 2.5 MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY SURVEYS ..............................................................10 2.6 PERIPHYTON COMMUNITY SURVEYS .............................................................................. 11 2.7 AMPHIBIAN SURVEYS. ........................................................................................................ 11 3.0 AQUATIC ASSESSMENT RESULTS ........................................................................................... 12 3.1 AQUATIC SPECIES OF CONCERN ..................................................................................... 12 3.2 HABITAT EVALUATIONS ..................................................................................................... 12 3.3 FISH COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................................ 13 3.3.1 Pit Tagged Fish ............................................................................................................... 19 3.3.2 Fish anomalies ................................................................................................................ 20 3.3.3 Fish Tissue Analysis ........................................................................................................ 21 3.3.4 Fall Redd Counts ............................................................................................................. 22 3.5 FRESHWATER MUSSEL SURVEYS .................................................................................... 25 3.6 MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES ............................................................................ 25 3.7 PERIPHYTON COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................. 29 3.8 AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE OBSERVATIONS ...................................................................... 30 4.0 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................... 31 5.0 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................... 33 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Stream Flows reported at Aquatic Monitoring Study Reaches .................................................... 2 Table 2. Aquatic Monitoring Study Reach Location Information ............................................................... 3 Table 3. Metrics and Classification of Fishes Collected during the Study ................................................. 8 Table 4. Aquatic Sampling Assessment Reach Measurements ............................................................. 14 Table 5. Location, Date and Species of Pit-tagged salmonids ................................................................ 20 Table 6. Baseline Whole Body Sculpin Tissue Metal Values ................................................................. 21 Table 7. Assemblage Tolerance Indices (ATI) for the Aquatic Vertebrates ............................................. 22 Table 8. Macroinvertebrate Sample Characteristics and Metrics ............................................................ 27 Table 9. Macroinvertebrate Metric Statistical Results ............................................................................. 28 Table 10. Periphyton Sample Characteristics…. .................................................................................... 29 Table 11. Overall Site Community Integrity Ranks …. ............................................................................ 32 i Tintina Resources Black Butte Copper Project Baseline Aquatic Surveys Montana Biological Survey May 2017 LIST OF MAPS Map 1. Tintina Black Butte Mine Aquatic Sampling Sites .......................................................................... 5 Map 2. Sheep Creek Redd Count Locations ........................................................................................... 24 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Macroinvertebrate and Fish Sampling Procedures ..................................................................... 9 Figure 2. Cattle-Damaged Section of Tenderfoot Creek AQ5 reach ........................................................ 10 Figure 3. Seasonal Average Fish Abundance for Little Sheep, Sheep and Tenderfoot Creek ................ 15 Figure 4. Overall Average Salmonid Abundance for Sheep, Little Sheep and Tenderfoot Creek ............ 18 Figure 5. Redd Count Averages for the Sheep Creek Project Area ......................................................... 23 Figure 6. Macroinvertebrate MDEQ MMI scores across Tintina Study Sites .......................................... 26 Figure 7. Macroinvertebrate HBI Scores across Tintina Study Sites ...................................................... 26 LIST OF PHOTOS Photo 1. Typical CT x RBTR hybrid collected in Tenderfoot Creek and Sheep Creek ........................... 12 Photo 2. Opercula reduction and chromatophore brook trout in Little Sheep Creek AQ7 ........................ 20 Photo 3. Cyanobacteria covering a rock and the nuisance diatom in Tenderfoot Creek AQ5 .................. 30 Photo 4. Juvenile Western Toad Observed at Sheep Creek AQ2 during the summer 2016 survey ......... 30 APPENDICES Appendix A Site Photographs Appendix B Fish Survey Raw Data Appendix C Fish Size-Frequency Graphs Appendix D Macroinvertebate Taxa List, Abundance and Metrics Appendix E Periphyton Taxa List, Abundance and Metrics Appendix F Fish Tissue Analysis Appendix G Stream Habitat and Physical Site Conditions ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Tintina Resources, Inc. for funding this project under a new agreement with Montana Biological Survey. Report review and editing was provided by Allan Kirk, Grant Grisak and Don Skaar. Additional review and formatting by Ed Surbrugg and Alane Dallas have greatly improved the report. Field work coordination, stream flow data, site logistics were provided and expedited by Greg Bryce (Hydrometrics), Chance Matthews, Jerry Zieg and Vince Scartozzi (Tintina Resources). Field survey assistance provided by Peter Brown, Braden Lewis,