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Abstract
Growth of the United States has been facilitated, in part, by hard-rock mining in the Rocky Mountains. Abandoned and inactive mines cause many significant environmental concerns in hundreds of watersheds. Those who have responsibility to address these environmental concerns must have a basic level of scientific information about mining and mine wastes in a watershed prior to initiating remediation activities. To demonstrate what information is needed and how to obtain that information, the U.S. Geological Survey implemented the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative from 1997 to 2002 with demonstration studies in the Boulder River watershed in Montana and the Animas River watershed in Colorado. The AML Initiative included collection and analysis of geologic, hydrologic, geochemical, geophysical, and biological data. The synergy of this interdisciplinary analysis produced a perspective of the environmental concerns that could not have come from a single discipline. Two examples of these perspectives include (1) the combination of hydrological tracer techniques, structural geology, and geophysics help to understand the spatial distribution of loading to the streams in a way that cannot be evaluated by monitoring at a catchment outlet, and (2) the combination of toxicology and hydrology combine to illustrate that seasonal variability of toxicity conditions occurs. Lessons have been learned by listening to and collaborating with land-management agencies to understand their needs and by applying interdisciplinary methods to answer their questions.
Study Area
Publication type | Conference Paper |
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Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
Title | Lessons learned from the U.S. Geological Survey abandoned mine lands initiative: 1997-2002 |
Year Published | 2006 |
Language | English |
Publisher | American Society of Mining and Reclamation |
Publisher location | Lexington, KY |
Contributing office(s) | Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program |
Description | 20 p. |
Larger Work Type | Book |
Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
First page | 944 |
Last page | 963 |
Time Range Start | 1997-01-01 |
Time Range End | 2002-12-31 |
Conference Title | 7th International Conference on Acid Rock Drainage (ICARD) |
Conference Location | St. Louis, MO |
Conference Date | March 26, 2006 |
Country | United States |
State | Colorado, Montana |
Online Only (Y/N) | N |
Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |