Laserfiche WebLink
McClave Canyon Mine Expansion and Fruita Loadout Facility Biological Assessment <br />High concentrations of selenium have been found in Colorado pikeminnows inhabiting the <br />Colorado River within the 18 -mile reach (Osmundson et al., 2000). Selenium levels present in <br />fishes' muscle tissue appeared inversely related to river flows in the Colorado River <br />(Osmundson et al., 2000; Hamilton et al., 2004). The levels of selenium in muscle tissue of <br />pikeminnows in the 18 -mile reach (maximum of 17.8 pg /g dry weight) exceeded levels (dry <br />weight: 4 pg /g whole body, 8 pg /g muscle) recognized as toxic to fish (Lemly, 1993; Lemly <br />1996). Colorado pikeminnows experimentally exposed to various dietary and waterborne <br />concentrations of selenium produced eggs with significantly higher selenium levels than in the <br />female parent, although the data were insufficient to evaluate effects of selenium on <br />reproduction (Buhl and Hamilton, 2000). Selenium concentrations from 2 to 5 pg /L in water <br />affect fish reproduction and populations but when selenium levels in fish tissues reach 10 to 20 <br />pg /kg (fish whole body dry weight), teratogenesis (abnormal embryonic developmental) in <br />embryos ensues (Bureau of Reclamation et al., 1998; Lemly, 1996; also Section 4.3,2.3, <br />Razorback Suckers, below). <br />Bioaccumulation of selenium in eggs of two trout species inhabiting streams influenced by a <br />coal mine in Alberta, Canada resulted in significantly higher incidences of teratogenic <br />abnormalities in larvae than for fish in non - affected control streams (Holm et al., 2005). The <br />elevated selenium levels in affected waters (6 to 32 pg /L compared to <5.4 pg /L in unaffected <br />waters) and the two trout species (9.9 pg /g wet weight in rainbow trout eggs compared to <6.5 <br />pg /g wet weight in eggs of control trout) were a result of mining seleniferous coal (HoInn et al., <br />2005). Selenium- caused teratogenesis and possible reproductive failure likely affect Colorado <br />pikeminnows and the species' recovery (FWS, 2009c; Hamilton, 1998). <br />The Proposed Action could increase selenium concentrations in East Salt Creek and Reed <br />Wash through surface runoff and direct discharge of water held in sediment ponds on either <br />site. Dissolved selenium held in ponds could also enter the waterbodies through infiltration <br />through groundwater and lateral movements through the waterbodies' hyporheic zones if ponds <br />are not lined. Selenium concentrations become elevated in evaporation ponds as water <br />evaporates, especially in arid environments (Seiler, 1998; Seiler et al., 1999). Deep percolation <br />of water (seepage below the root zone of plants) in unlined holding ponds could be an important <br />source of contaminant loading into the Colorado River in the Grand Valley area (Mayo, 2008). <br />For example, three unlined holding ponds, 4.5 to 6.8 feet deep, constructed on loam or clay <br />loam in the Grand Valley, lost a season average of 11.94 acre -feet of water per surface acre of <br />pond due to seepage, alone (Mayo, 2008). Ponds at the Loadout Facility will be constructed in <br />Billings loam to silty clay loam, alluvium deposits most likely derived from Mancos Shale north of <br />the property." The proposed Mine sediment pond would be within Cameo fine sandy loam, a <br />well- drained soil that is deeper than 60 inches to bedrock. <br />Coal Releases. Coal could enter aquatic environments through various pathways including <br />wind erosion that generates fugitive coal dust, inadvertent spills of coal during transport, and <br />slumping and runoff from storage areas. Chemical properties of coal can affect aquatic habitats <br />through numerous pathways including (but not limited to) release of dissolved salts, trace <br />elements, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), although toxicity via leaching depends on the <br />coal type, mineral impurities, and leaching conditions (see Ahrens and Morrisey, 2005 for a <br />comprehensive review). Potential toxicity of selenium in coal and effects on fish were <br />addressed, above. In addition, exposure to coal dust can lead to carcinogenic effects in fish, <br />which has been shown when PAHs in coal dust stimulated a gene (CYP1A1) in salmon that <br />11 Exhibit 07 — 2010 Train Loadout Soil Survey attached to CAM - Colorado, LLC Fruita Loadout, Colorado <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety Permit No. C- 2020 -088. <br />12 Appendix T and Figure 4.4 -2, McClane Canyon Mining, LLC Permit Revision Application Number 2. <br />23 <br />