County to weigh in on proposed mineral testing in Blackfoot watershed
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) Citing an interest in downstream impacts, Missoula County on Monday said it was tracking the Montana Department of Environmental Quality's review of an amended mineral exploratory project at the headwaters of the Blackfoot River.
A subsidiary of the Columbia Gold Project is seeking approval to drill roughly 21 bore holes to a depth of 2,300 feet near Lincoln. The request is based on known metals and the land represents a private in-holding.
“They want to conduct additional environmental and geological studies,” said Jenny Zaso, the county's open lands manager. “It's still in the exploratory phase and not yet a mine permit.”
Under the proposal, the drilling samples would be sent to Lincoln for cleaning before shipping to a lab for chemical analysis. The property where drilling is planned sits south of Highway 200 and contains three old mine sites including the Columbia, Rover and Seven Up Pete mines.
Water from the area flows through a series of creeks into the Blackfoot River.
The DEQ's preliminary finding suggested that exploration isn't expected to cause any environmental impacts, but Zaso said the scope of review “was narrow and phase specific.”
The comment period closed last month but concerns included potential impacts to the Blackfoot watershed, that exploration would lead to an operational mine, and that the project's cumulative impacts weren't addressed by the state's environmental assessment.
“Right now, we're just waiting to see what the DEQ decision is around that exploratory phase,” said Zaso. “As soon as that comes out, we'll take a look at it. If DEQ approves the amendment, then the drilling program will proceed.”
Zaso said that would be followed by more environmental data collection while the company evaluates whether a full-fledged mine is feasible. While the scope of the potential mine isn't yet known, the company will need to seek a permit for the project.
The county's letter will miss the initial comment period, but officials on Monday said that sending it represents a chance to weight in.
“Because it's not tied to their comment period, it's probably not going to be analyzed that way,” said Chet Crowser, chief lands and communities officer for the county. “But it's also an opportunity for us to share our voice to let folks who are tracking this know that we have an interest in the downstream concerns.”
An earthen dam built in 1941 to contain tailings from the Mike Horse mine gave out in 1975, sending heavy metals, including zinc and cadmium, flooding into the upper Blackfoot River. That blowout killed aquatic organisms that trout feed on.
More than $100 million has been spent restoring stream channels and floodplains, and a water treatment plant was built to treat the contaminated mine water in perpetuity.