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. f m(rdmflW~~ \\ (\'\1\\ \\\ Q '\' n ~ :A:_ ; N;O.2_7197B .2: \I" ,\ \'" \ ,~~ ~\ V.'i,hR 'CONSER A BOARD Colorado 208 Water Quality Planning Issue VII, November 1978 RECLAMATION EFFORTS BEGIN ON PERU CREEK Several State and federal agencies have joined forces in a demonstration project designed to test the feasibility of controlling water pollution from inactive and abandoned mines in Colorado, The project at Peru Creek, a tributary to the Snake River that drains into Dillon Reservior, will utilize a number of control techniques that were identified in a 208-sponsored study of the problem. The water quality of Peru Creek has been degraded by heavy metals and acidity from mine tailings. The degraded water has not only destroyed the aquatic life in much of the stream, but the quality of Dillon Reservoir, a major source of Denver's water, is being threatened. Restoration of the creek's water quality will have benefits for the area's economy, recreation potential, and public health. The principal funding for the project is being provided by the US Forest Service with support from the State 208 program, Tim Sullivan, a hydrologist with the White River National Forest, and David Holm, with the State Mined Land Reclamation Board colla- borated to design and oversee the Peru Creek project. The 208 Program provided funds to hire a field technician, Bruce Stenulson, to perform water sampling and stream flow measurements, The Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, and Summit County are providing technical administrative support. Additional scientific expertise is being offered through the USFS Forest and Range Experiment Station in Logan, Utah and by the Resource Exploration and Handling Office of EPA in Cincinnatti, Ohio. Laboratory facilities for water quality analysis are provided by the Colorado Department of Health, Water Quality Control Division. Part of the Peru Creek problem results from a number of tailing piles asso- ciated with several inactive mines in the drainage area, Tailings erode as runoff flows over them, and some of the pollutants become suspended in the surface water, The water that seeps through the tailings dissolves some of the metals and contaminates the ground water as well. The acidity problem is due to water draining from the portals of the mines. Evaluation of the specific pollutants, their sources, and their effects on the stream began last Spring, Four major samplings were taken from twenty stations in late Spring during peak runoff, mid-July and mid-August during medium flow, and in September to evaluate low flow effects, In addition to examining the pollutant levels and hydrOlogy of the stream, the aquatic life was also monitored to assess the extent of degradation to the fish habitat. The intensive data-gathering prior to reclamation efforts will more clearly isolate the sources and effects of the metal laden drainage. More importantly, it will provide a way to measure the effective- ness of reclamation on stream water quality, Revegetation of some of the tailings piles has begun with the aid of the Forest Service scientists from Logan. Experimental plots with various seed mixtures are being tested, This treatment will provide a means for stabilizing the tailings and reducing their erosion potential. A settling pond has been constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of this simple and