Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Report 2007-2009
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Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Report 2007-2009 NorthMet Project Prepared for PolyMet Mining Inc. March 2010 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Report 2007-2009 NorthMet Project Prepared for PolyMet Mining Inc. March 2010 4700 West 77th Street Minneapolis, MN 55435-4803 Phone: (952) 832-2600 Fax: (952) 832-2601 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Report 2007-2009 PolyMet Mining Inc. March 2010 Table of Contents Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................vi 1.0 Objectives ..............................................................................................................................................1 2.0 Methods..................................................................................................................................................2 2.1 Well Placement ...............................................................................................................................2 2.2 Well Construction and Installation..................................................................................................3 2.3 Water Level Recording ...................................................................................................................4 3.0 Wetland Hydrology and Climatic Criteria .............................................................................................5 3.1 Wetland Hydrology Criteria............................................................................................................5 3.2 Normal Climatic Conditions ...........................................................................................................5 3.3 Climatic Conditions - Water Years 2005-2009...............................................................................6 4.0 Monitoring Schedule............................................................................................................................11 5.0 Results..................................................................................................................................................12 5.1 General Site Hydrology.................................................................................................................12 5.2 Hydrogeologic Conditions ............................................................................................................12 5.3 Soil Characteristics........................................................................................................................14 5.4 Wetland Hydrology.......................................................................................................................15 5.5 Wetland Hydrology Elevations.....................................................................................................24 5.6 Hydrology Results Summary ........................................................................................................24 6.0 Future Actions......................................................................................................................................26 8.0 References............................................................................................................................................27 P:\Mpls\23 MN\69\2369862\WorkFiles\WO 008 Corps Wetlands Permit\WetlandHydroStudy\2009Data\Report iii List of Tables Table 1 2007-2009 Wetland Monitoring Well Summary Table 2 2005-2009 Wetland Water Elevation Summary Table 3 Precipitation Summary Compared to WETS Data Table 4 Precipitation During the 2005-2009 Growing Seasons List of Figures Figure 1 Project Location Figure 2 Mine Site Overview Figure 3 2005-2007 Wetland Monitoring Ground and Water Level Elevations Figure 4 2008-2009 Wetland Monitoring Ground and Water Level Elevations Figure 5 Precipitation Statistics for 2004-2009 Water Years Figure 6 2005-2009 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data, Northwest Mine Site Area – Wells 4, 4A, 5, and 18 Figure 7 2005-2009 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data, North-Central Mine Site Area – Wells 2, 10, 11, and 12 Figure 8 2005-2009 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data, Northeast Mine Site Area – Wells 13, 14, and 15 Figure 9 2005-2009 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data, South-Central Mine Site Area – Wells 8, 9, 16, and 21 Figure 10 2005-2009Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data, Southwest Mine Site Area – Wells 1, 3, 6, 7, 17, 19, and 22 Figure 11 2005-2009 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data, Reference Wells West of Mine Site – Reference Wells Ref1 and Ref2 Figure 12 Precipitation Summary for 2005-2009 Figure 13 2006-2009 Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Data – Well 1 iv Appendices Appendix A 2006 Wetland Hydrology and Water Elevation Data Appendix B 2007 Wetland Hydrology and Water Elevation Data Appendix C 2008 Wetland Hydrology and Water Elevation Data Appendix D 2009 Wetland Hydrology and Water Elevation Data Appendix E Well Location Photographs Appendix F Depth to Bedrock Appendix G 2006 Hydrogeologic Pumping Test Appendix H Wetland Monitoring Well Transects Appendix I Water Hydrology by Wetland Type v Executive Summary • This report was submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in March 2010. It is intended to meet the reporting requirements for pre-project wetland hydrology monitoring. The wetland hydrology monitoring study followed the Corps-approved protocols described in the Wetland Hydrology Study Plan (Barr, 2005). • Documentation is presented in this report for the third, fourth, and fifth years of wetland hydrology monitoring and includes climate, water level, and water elevation data. The data from the first and second years of monitoring were presented in the Preliminary Wetland Hydrology Study Reports (Barr, 2006a and 2006b). One partial year (2005) of data and four full years (2006-2009) of baseline wetland hydrology data have been collected for the NorthMet Site. • Wells were initially installed in 19 wetland monitoring locations in 2005, four of which were electronic wells. At the end of 2007, two wells were removed from the study because they were determined to be within the proposed project footprint. In 2008, one well was relocated within the same wetland complex, two wells were installed in new wetland locations at the NorthMet Site, and two wells were installed in reference wetlands located west of the NorthMet Site that will not be affected by the proposed project. During 2008-2009, there were a total of 21 sites monitored using manual and electronic wells. • Water levels were recorded in the electronic wells every two to four hours during the 2005- 2009 monitoring periods. Manual well data was recorded twice per month in 2005-2007 and once per month in 2008-2009. The electronic well data was collected during November 2005, and throughout the 2006-2009 growing seasons (May 9-October 6) for most locations. Frozen or inundated conditions prevented early installation of some electronic wells. • The 2005-2009 data show the presence of wetland hydrology in all monitored wetlands. The water table within the wetlands was generally within 12 inches of the ground surface for the majority of each growing season, which meets the minimum technical standard for wetland hydrology (Corps, 2005). • During the past four water years, the annual precipitation was within or above the normal range. During the 2006-2009 growing seasons, the precipitation was drier than normal in 2006 and 2008, wetter than the normal range in 2007, and within the normal range in 2009. vi Daily and monthly precipitation data were compared to WETS precipitation statistics from the National Weather Station in Babbitt, MN to determine climatic normalcy. • The four full years of monitoring data indicate that the majority of the wetlands on the site have hydrology supported primarily by precipitation, with some localized groundwater contributions. The groundwater flow paths are generally short with recharge areas (uplands) located close to the discharge areas (wetlands). Surface water runoff and local groundwater contributions from uplands can cause increased mineral content within the water in adjacent wetlands. Once the water reaches the wetlands, infiltration through the organic soil is limited by the increased decomposition of organic material with depth, and associated decrease in vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivity. • There is a lack of connectivity between the shallow water table in the wetlands and the deeper bedrock aquifer. The depth of soil and till overlying the bedrock ranges up to 33 feet, with bedrock outcrops present that alter local groundwater flow paths. A pumping and isotope test conducted in 2006 indicated that the water within the bedrock is derived from aquifer recharge rather than surface water seepage. The variability of the bedrock and soil surface, along with the location of the surface water divide, create localized, short, surficial groundwater flow paths within the watersheds on the NorthMet site. • The hydrologic regimes are consistent throughout the large wetland complexes. The maximum water level fluctuation was less than 12 inches in two wetlands (58 and 114) and between 12 to 18 inches in all other wetlands from 2005-2009. Wells located in the southwest and south-central areas show the greatest range of water table fluctuations, while wells in the northwest area show the least fluctuation. • The wetlands exhibit stable year-to-year water levels and elevations. Water levels in all wells fluctuated in direct