Report 2007–5262
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Prepared in cooperation with the Midnite Uranium Mine Natural Resource Trustee Council Determination of Premining Geochemical Background and Delineation of Extent of Sediment Contamination in Blue Creek Downstream from Midnite Mine, Stevens County, Washington Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5262 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Determination of Premining Geochemical Background and Delineation of Extent of Sediment Contamination in Blue Creek Downstream from Midnite Mine, Stevens County, Washington By Stanley E. Church, Frederick E. Kirschner, LaDonna M. Choate, Paul J. Lamothe, James R. Budahn, and Zoe Ann Brown Prepared in cooperation with the Midnite Uranium Mine Natural Resource Trustee Council Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5262 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS--the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Church, S.E., Kirschner, F.E., Choate, L.M., Lamothe, P.J., Budahn, J.R., and Brown, Z.A., 2008, Determination of premining geochemical background and delineation of extent of sediment contamination in Blue Creek downstream from Midnite Mine, Stevens County, Washington: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5262, 177 p. Cover. Aerial photograph of Midnite Mine site looking southeast. Photograph by Fred E. Kirschner, AESE, Inc., June 21, 2000. iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................7 Regional Setting .............................................................................................................................................7 Mine-Site Geology ................................................................................................................................7 Previous Work ..............................................................................................................................................10 Stream-Sediment Studies .................................................................................................................10 Data from Sediment from Lake Roosevelt ......................................................................................10 Water-Quality Data .............................................................................................................................11 Sampling and Preparation Methods .........................................................................................................11 Stream-Sediment Samples, Blue Creek Delta ...............................................................................11 Terrace- and Stream-Sediment Core Samples ..............................................................................11 Description of Terrace Core Sampling Sites ..................................................................................16 Analytical Methods......................................................................................................................................20 Sediment-Sample Digestion and Analytical Methods .................................................................20 Quality Assurance—Quality Control Data .............................................................................25 Gamma-Ray Spectrometry Methods ...............................................................................................25 Quality Assurance—Quality Control Data .............................................................................27 Statistical Methods......................................................................................................................................27 Results and Discussion ...............................................................................................................................27 137Cs Data from Cores 06MM01 and 06MM08 ................................................................................27 Geochemical Data from Terrace Cores, Blue Creek .....................................................................31 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM08 .................................................................................31 Radionuclide Data, Core 06MM08 ..........................................................................................35 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM06 .................................................................................40 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM05 .................................................................................40 Sediment Geochemistry, Cores from the Blue Creek Delta .........................................................40 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM03 .................................................................................40 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM04 .................................................................................45 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM02 .................................................................................45 Sediment Geochemistry, Core 06MM01 .................................................................................45 Radionuclide Data, Core 06MM01 ..........................................................................................51 Premining Geochemical Background Upstream of the Midnite Mine .......................................57 Comparison of the 1975 USGS Sediment Geochemical Data with Geochemical Data from the 1970s Sample Intervals in 2006 Cores ..........................................................61 Geochemical Data from the Blue Creek Delta ......................................................................66 Geochemical Contamination from the Spokane River in Lake Roosevelt ...............66 Premining Geochemical Background Data, Blue Creek Delta ..................................70 Data from Surface-Sediment Sites, Blue Creek Delta ................................................70 Summary of Geochemical Data ........................................................................................................81 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................................88 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................88 iv Appendix A. Tables Showing Sample Descriptions, Locations, Weights of Sieved Core Segments by Grain Size; Tables Showing Analytical Data from Cores and Sediment Used in Study; Tables Showing Geochemical Background Statistical Data and Calculations, Including Statistical Description in Graphical Form for Each Element; and Photographs of Cores ............................................................................................................91 Appendix B. Standard Operating Procedure for Sampling Sediments with Driven Core Sediment Sampler (DCSS) on the Spokane Indian Reservation (SOP_DCSS) ...................169 Figures 1. Location map of Midnite Mine study area ................................................................................3 2. Geologic map of study area ........................................................................................................4 3. Geologic map of Midnite Mine site ............................................................................................6 4. Map of the Midnite Mine site showing mine pits, waste dumps, roads, pollution control features, and surface drainages ..................................................................................8 5. Graph showing mean daily discharge recorded at gauge # 12433556 on the Midnite Mine tributary .................................................................................................................9 6. Map showing localities of the USGS 1975 and the 1979 NURE stream-sediment sites and the USGS 2006 core sites .........................................................................................14 7. Aerial photograph showing localities of the 2006 USGS core and 2005 AESE, Inc., stream-sediment sites in Blue Creek cove .............................................................................18 8–13. Photographs showing: 8. Core site 06MM01 ................................................................................................................20