MINING 



Situation 



The Statewide Water Quality Management Plan has 

 identified 133 polluting mining operations (DHES 1979). 

 The most serious problems are created by hard rock 

 mines which cause acid mine drainage and sediment. The 

 1971 Metal Mine Reclamation Act requires that these 

 mines be reclaimed. However, the Small Miner Exclusion 

 Statement in the act exempts from reclamation mines 

 moving less than 36,500 tons of overburden and ore, or 

 disturbing less than 5 acres of land. Also, mines abandon- 

 ed before 1971 are not covered by this law. Therefore, 

 small hard rock mining operations, more numerous and 

 less carefully scrutinized than larger, less remote mines, 

 are and will continue to be major local sources of water 

 pollution (DHES 1979). 



Several CDs have identified a concern over coal strip 

 mining in their long-range plans. These districts. Powder 

 River, Treasure County, and Rosebud County, are mainly 

 concerned over the temporary loss of productive 

 agricultural land to strip mining and the disruption of 

 aquifers. 



Since the passage of the 1973 Montana Strip and 

 Underground Mine Reclamation Act, the Montana 

 Department of State Lands has been issuing permits for 

 coal strip mining. As of February 1981, 22,818 acres have 

 been permitted under the Strip-mining Act. Of these 

 22,818 acres, 10,793 are permitted for mining level distur- 

 bances (actual area of extraction); 3,184 acres are permit- 

 ted for mining facilities (coal crushers, haul roads, sedi- 

 ment ponds, diversion ditches, storage, offices, etc.); 

 8,842 acres are permitted for associated disturbances 

 (power lines, light roads, etc.) (Montana Department of 

 State Lands 1981). Most of the strippable coal in Montana 

 is overlain by rangeland. Few of the strip mine leaseholds 

 have significant amounts of small grain and hayland on a 

 site by site basis. However, mining may occur on alluvial 

 soils which are often valuable agricultural lands. 



For example, the proposed expanded mining operations 

 near Colstrip in southeastern Montana, depending on the 

 size of actual mine areas, may physically destroy 5 peren- 

 nial reservoirs, 4 springs, and 26 water wells. In addition, 

 storage yields from 3 springs and 9 wells and storage in 4 

 other reservoirs may be diminished (Montana Bureau of 

 Mines and Geology 1977). 



Concerns 



Acid mine drainage from hard rock mines is 

 causing serious water quality problems in the state. 

 Strip mining in eastern Montana will cause a 

 disruption in local aquifers and undoubtedly affect 

 other water users. Also there is concern over loss of 

 productive agricultural land to strip mining. 

 Careful attention must be given to preserve these 

 areas. 



Objectives 



A) To carry out a stream reclamation project 

 on the Prickly Pear drainage for abatement of acid 

 mine drainage problems, the CDD will support ef- 

 forts of the Montana Department of State Lands to 

 use Abandoned Mine Land Program money for the 

 Prickly Pear project. Also the CDD will request 

 that the CDs support this project and recommend 

 use of these funds on other mine drainage projects 

 identified in some of the CDs' water quality 

 management plans. See part B, Objective 53 of the 

 Work Plan. 



Rationale: Solving the problems of acid mine 

 drainage problems from hard rock mining is very 

 costly. Financial assistance is needed. 



According to the Montana Bureau of Mines and 

 Geology: 



"...water levels or hydrostatic pressures in aquifers 

 penetrated by mining will decline because of increas- 

 ed, reversed, or interrupted hydraulic gradients. Such 

 observations cause no astonishment: the principles of 

 hydrology demand that they occur. It has also been 

 shown without surprise that under certain vertical- 

 flow conditions, hydrostatic pressures in aquifers 

 below an active mine can decline because of reduced 

 pressures in above lying disturbed aquifers (Montana 

 Bureau of Mines and Ceology 1977)." 



B) To assist CDs with land use conversion 

 and aquifer disruption problems with coal strip 

 mining. Emphasis will be placed on preserving 

 prime, unique, and statewide important farmland 

 (see Changes in Land Use section), and determin- 

 ing effects of proposed coal strip mining on 

 aquifers. See Part B, Objective 54 of the Work 

 Plan. 



Rationale: The CDD can help CDs coor- 

 dinate activities involving coal strip mining, on the 

 state level, with other agencies. 



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