Warren Meadows Placer Exploration Projecta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic... ·...
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Warren Meadows Placer Exploration Project Purpose and Need The Purpose of the Forest Service in proposing this action is to minimize adverse environmental impacts to surface resources by regulating the functions, work, and activities connected with the miner’s plan to remove locatable minerals from National Forest System lands. The compelling Need for the Forest Service to take this action is to comply with the legal requirements to respond to the claimant’s reasonable Plan of Operations (36 CFR 228.4), and to ensure that “operations are conducted so as, where feasible, to minimize adverse environmental impacts on National Forest surface resources” (36 CFR 228.8). The proposed action would accomplish the following Forest Plan goal in part: MIGO01 – Facilitate the orderly and environmentally sound exploration, development, and production of mineral and energy resources. Proposed Action A placer gold bulk sampling project would involve the excavation of six trenches within two separate project areas located in Warren Meadows, T23N, R06E, Sec. 34 & 35; T22N, R06E, Sec. 3 (see Figures 1 & 2). Warren Meadows is a field of granite cobbles and ponds roughly 1.8 miles long by 0.4 miles wide created by past placer mining (see Figure 3). The first project area encompasses approximately 0.3 acres and is located on a flat sandy terrace adjacent to Camp Creek (see Figure 4). The second project area is a flat area of approximately 0.8 acres located 0.7 miles south of the first area (see Figure 5). Approximate trench locations are shown on the detail maps. Excavation & Processing Trenches would be 8 feet wide and up to 25 feet deep. Total combined length would be approximately 700 feet. Some small diameter lodgepole trees would be cleared from the excavation sites. Final trench alignment would be adjusted to minimize cutting of trees within the Camp Creek RCA as much as possible. No activity would take place within wetlands. Where topsoil is present (e.g. the western trench in Area #2) it will be salvaged and stockpiled for reclamation use. If significant volumes of peat or clay are encountered during excavation they would also be stockpiled for use in wetlands construction during reclamation. Any willow clumps which need to be cleared for trench excavation would be salvaged for reclamation by temporarily relocating them to a small pit or trench excavated to the water table surface. Excavated material would be processed with a trailer-mounted mobile wash plant to recover placer gold. Gold recovery would be by gravity methods only; no chemicals would be used. Water to supply the wash plant would come from groundwater infiltrating into the trenches. Water would be pumped from the trench to the wash plant then returned to the trench, thus operating as a closed recycling system that would prevent any groundwater drawdown effects on nearby surface water features. Excavation would proceed below the water table, with trench boxes utilized if support of the trench walls becomes necessary. No water would be
Transcript of Warren Meadows Placer Exploration Projecta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic... ·...
Warren Meadows Placer Exploration Project
Purpose and Need The Purpose of the Forest Service in proposing this action is to minimize adverse environmental impacts to surface resources by regulating the functions, work, and activities connected with the miner’s plan to remove locatable minerals from National Forest System lands. The compelling Need for the Forest Service to take this action is to comply with the legal requirements to respond to the claimant’s reasonable Plan of Operations (36 CFR 228.4), and to ensure that “operations are conducted so as, where feasible, to minimize adverse environmental impacts on National Forest surface resources” (36 CFR 228.8). The proposed action would accomplish the following Forest Plan goal in part: MIGO01 – Facilitate the orderly and environmentally sound exploration, development, and production of mineral and energy resources.
Proposed Action A placer gold bulk sampling project would involve the excavation of six trenches within two separate project areas located in Warren Meadows, T23N, R06E, Sec. 34 & 35; T22N, R06E, Sec. 3 (see Figures 1 & 2). Warren Meadows is a field of granite cobbles and ponds roughly 1.8 miles long by 0.4 miles wide created by past placer mining (see Figure 3). The first project area encompasses approximately 0.3 acres and is located on a flat sandy terrace adjacent to Camp Creek (see Figure 4). The second project area is a flat area of approximately 0.8 acres located 0.7 miles south of the first area (see Figure 5). Approximate trench locations are shown on the detail maps.
Excavation & Processing
Trenches would be 8 feet wide and up to 25 feet deep. Total combined length would be approximately 700 feet. Some small diameter lodgepole trees would be cleared from the excavation sites. Final trench alignment would be adjusted to minimize cutting of trees within the Camp Creek RCA as much as possible. No activity would take place within wetlands. Where topsoil is present (e.g. the western trench in Area #2) it will be salvaged and stockpiled for reclamation use. If significant volumes of peat or clay are encountered during excavation they would also be stockpiled for use in wetlands construction during reclamation. Any willow clumps which need to be cleared for trench excavation would be salvaged for reclamation by temporarily relocating them to a small pit or trench excavated to the water table surface. Excavated material would be processed with a trailer-mounted mobile wash plant to recover placer gold. Gold recovery would be by gravity methods only; no chemicals would be used. Water to supply the wash plant would come from groundwater infiltrating into the trenches. Water would be pumped from the trench to the wash plant then returned to the trench, thus operating as a closed recycling system that would prevent any groundwater drawdown effects on nearby surface water features. Excavation would proceed below the water table, with trench boxes utilized if support of the trench walls becomes necessary. No water would be
drafted from Camp Creek or Warren Creek. No process water from the wash plant would be discharged to surface water. Process water would be tested periodically to ensure that it meets groundwater quality standards. If testing detects metals concentrations exceeding state standards, operations would be suspended until methods of reducing concentrations below standards have been approved and implemented. Access & Equipment
A 230 foot long temporary access road to Project Area 1 would be bladed through the old tailing windrows along a previously used route. Access to Project Area 2 would be directly off of Rd. #50346. Other equipment on site would include a small bulldozer, an excavator, a loader, and transport pickups. Fuel would be stored in truck-mounted tanks; there would be no on-site fuel storage. Spill response kits would be available on site. Personnel would be housed on-site in recreational vehicles to minimize travel on Rd. #50346 and use of the Warren Creek ford. Portable toilets would be available on site. The project would last for approximately 2-3 months during the summer/fall season. As excavation of the trenches progresses, the wash plant tailings would be concurrently backfilled into the part of the trench not being actively excavated. Final reclamation and revegetation of the areas would be completed at the end of the operating season.
Reclamation
All mining equipment would be removed from the sites. A freshwater emergent wetland having similar characteristics and function as the nearby Camp Creek wetlands would be constructed at Area #1. The cobble berm preventing vehicle access to Area #1 would be reconstructed. A self-sustaining native perennial vegetative cover would be established on all disturbed ground with the exception of areas having a bare cobble surface.
Figure 1
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Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
