Old Mine Waste Threatens Yellowstone's Soda Butte Creek
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R • I • V • E • R O • N T • H • E E • D • G • E by Ralph Glidden Old Mine Waste Threatens Yellowstone’s Soda Butte Creek Editor’s note: Environmentally conscious mining and metallurgy are relatively new and have evolved from past practices that paid limited attention to environmen– tal impact. The lack of attention to potential environmental consequen– ces has allowed industrial operations to adversely impact the countryside, waterways, and air throughout the world. Each of these impacts is a failure and finding the proper solutions to such failures is a role for a practical failure analyst. My personal awareness of environ– mental failures was piqued by the article “River on the Edge” in the September 2000 issue of Fly Fisherman. This article is an analysis of the actual and potential consequen– ces of an environmental oversight. The defunct McLaren Mine (waste site pictured above) near Cooke City, Mont., releases harmful Additionally, the author follows good levels of contaminated water into Soda Butte Creek. If the waste is not removed, a failure analysis practices by recom– severe spring runoff could wipe out the river’s entire ecosystem, as well as that of the Lamar mending a pathway to help minimize and Yellowstone Rivers in Yellowstone Park. the consequences of the failure. My “in-the-box” thinking, which ne of Yellowstone National extinct hot-spring cone of travertine generally confines failure analysis to Park’s most popular fly- for which the stream is named. The metallic components and only on rare fishing rivers is threatened stream runs from 20 to 30 feet wide, occasions expands to include organic O by mine tailings that, if set free by a coursing its way through large gravel and ceramic materials, was severely heavy spring runoff, could poison and bars, riffles, and pools as it meanders stretched by reading “River On the Edge.” Both Fly Fisherman and Ralph kill the ecosystem that supports its down the sage-and-grass-covered Glidden, the author of “River On the trout. Five miles upstream from the valley to join the Lamar River. Edge,” were kind enough to grant us northeast entrance to Yellowstone permission to reprint the article in Park, Soda Butte Creek begins in At dusk in late July, with the sweet Practical Failure Analysis (PFA). snow-fed springs that join small, steep mingling aroma of sage and evergreen Hopefully, this article will challenge tributaries just east of Cooke City, flooding your senses, you cast a Blue your thinking and expand your views Mont. The stream meanders toward Dun to a pool near an undercut bank of what constitutes a failure analysis. Yellowstone Park through a mix of on a bend below the Soda Butte cone. Comments on this, and any other dense timber and open meadow, Suddenly a 16-inch native cutthroat content in PFA, are welcomed. sometimes hidden within dark silver- explodes on your fly and the quiet is Selected comments may be published in upcoming issues. green thickets. Not far into the Park, broken. Moments later, as you release Soda Butte Creek cuts its way through the spotted-black and amber-brown deep Ice Box Canyon before spilling beauty, you look up toward the onto the sagebrush flats and past the towering peaks and sheer vertical cliffs Mac Louthan, editor Copyright © Fly Fisherman magazine. Reprinted with permission from Fly Fisherman, September 2000. Practical Failure Analysis Volume 1(1) February 2001 25 River on the Edge – Yellowstone’s Soda Butte Creek (continued) that surround you and this gentle the cost of heightening the dikes million before the steep drop in the valley. The problems and pollution of around the settling pond.” price of gold). When CAMJAC’s plan modern life fade into the dwindling to process the tailings failed, the firm light, and all seems right with the In 1950, a McLaren inspection tried to contract with other mining world. Sadly, the reality that shatters memorandum from the same park companies to do so in exchange for this magical illusion lies but inches ranger noted that “mill tailings are royalties. At one point CAMJAC from your feet. Soda Butte Creek is a entering the creek through a large leased the tailings to a firm that was stream in peril, the victim of more breach of the earthen wall which than 65 years of serious mining surrounds pollution near its headwaters outside the main “Despite all the corrective measures, the site continues the park. settling to hurt and threaten the Soda Butte Creek ecosystem.” pool. The What Happened? tailings dam had been washed out by a rain- From 1933 to 1953, the McLaren going to truck the rock over Wyoming storm on June 23, 1950.” In 1953, the Gold Mining Company deposited Route 296 toward Cody to process McLaren Gold Mining Company’s from 150,000 to 370,000 cubic yards and dispose of it, but amid concerns last year of operation, the Anaconda of waste in the floodplain just below about the tailings washing down- Company reported on the mine and Soda Butte Creek’s headwaters. The stream into Yellowstone Park, the mill after it was offered to them for toxic tailings came from ore processed EPA stepped in and ordered remedial purchase: “Tailings pond overflow has by the nearby McLaren Mine, an action, requiring previous owner been a problem for the mine as the open-pit gold and copper mine Kennecott to stabilize the spoils. In pollution of Soda Butte Creek causes located near Cooke City and on the 1989, through an EPA Superfund trouble with park authorities. .” saddle between Fisher and Henderson emergency response action, the Anaconda declined the offer for mountains. existing Soda Butte channel and purchase and the mine shut down. tailings impoundment were renovated When the mine and mill were oper- to accommodate a 100-year flood. ational, tailings were pumped into a For the next 16 years the McLaren Modifications included riprap along settling pond through which Soda mill site and tailings remained idle, the stream’s banks to prevent flooding Butte Creek flowed. Even during continuing to pollute Soda Butte by Soda Butte Creek and breach of those years, mining reports suggest Creek unabated. In 1969 the Bear the tailings dam. that the highly toxic, sulfide-rich Creek Mining Company, a subsidiary tailings posed a serious environmental of Kennecott Copper Corporation, In March 1990, an evaluation of the problem. A 1937 mining company bought the property and rehabilitated work was prepared for the EPA. Based memorandum reveals the concern: the McLaren tailings deposit by on their findings, investigators “The present milling plant is situated diverting Soda Butte Creek to the concluded that the tailings dam is one mile east of Cooke City on Soda north edge of the tailings and covering only marginally stable under static Butte Creek, which drains into them with soil. They tore down the conditions, and is potentially unstable Yellowstone Park. this drainage in mill buildings and reseeded the area. during dynamic events, such as heavy entering the Park introduces serious But subsequent water chemistry spring floods. In addition, surface complications.” The complications studies conducted by the U.S. erosion is scouring the face of the did not go unnoticed by Yellowstone Environmental Protection Agency tailings dam because reseeding efforts Park. A 1949 memorandum from a (EPA) showed no decreases in iron, have been only marginally successful. Yellowstone National Park ranger copper, or zinc levels in Soda Butte Discharge from surface runoff near says: “The main flow of Soda Butte Creek following the project. In 1982, the installed pipe drain can still be Creek is currently diverted under the CAMJAC, Inc., a small group of seen during spring runoff. McLaren tailings pond through a independent investors headquartered four-foot culvert. The McLaren in Great Falls, Mont., bought the Although the tailings have been operation gains an advantage by tailings from Kennecott Copper and leveled and capped and the creek encouraging the loss of past years’ announced it would process them for relocated around the tailings, the old sediments during high water to avoid leftover ore (then valued at over $7 creek channels probably still con- 26 Volume 1(1) February 2001 Practical Failure Analysis The McLaren mine tailings site on Soda Butte Creek could wash into Yellowstone National Park just a few miles away. tribute flow to Soda Butte Creek by Mills and Sharpe (1968) indicated extending into Yellowstone Park directly through the tailings dam. that “invertebrate forms have been because they are elevated in water, Much of the mill site ore pile is reduced in species and numbers from sediment, and biota collected there.. situated on U.S. Forest Service prop- the pollutants.” In his paper, Tissue concentrations of copper erty, and deep gullies erode unpro- “A Polluted Flash Flood and Its found in invertebrates and fish were cessed ore materials containing high Consequences,” (Yellowstone Science, comparable to tissue levels found in concentrations of soluble metals and 2(1): 2-6, 1993), Dr. Grant Meyer fish from other areas known to be acid-producing pyrite. reported sediment containing copper highly toxic.” between 310 and 1,200 ppm and lead Dr. Andrew Marcus of Montana between 100 and 400 ppm extending The Damage State University continues to work an along Soda Butte Creek’s banks far ongoing research project that has Studies by government, university, into Yellowstone Park. These copper produced vital information docu- and private scientists reveal that the levels substantially exceed those menting the effects of pollution from McLaren tailings site is causing considered to be toxic to plants, and the McLaren tailings site. “Our re- serious water quality and habitat prob- the lead concentrations are near the search very clearly shows the impacts lems to Soda Butte Creek and Yellow- toxic threshold.