Snowshoe Mine reclamation project in stretch run
Motorists this summer once again face limited access to the Snowshoe Trail and the Leigh Creek trailhead as the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Kootenai National Forest undertake the last leg of reclamation at the former Snowshoe Mine.
Snowshoe Creek Road is closed to the public until November. And due to heavy truck traffic hauling mine waste from the mine, access is limited along Cherry Creek and Leigh Creek trailhead roads, with pilot car escort and delays.
The restrictions are in effect weekdays from 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
“We appreciate the public cooperation and understanding and are confident the wait will be worth it,” said Steve Opp, reclamation specialist and Snowshoe Mine Site project officer with the DEQ.
Reclamation resumed on June 15 for the third and final construction season. The $2.4 million project is expected to wrap up by November.
“People will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the area without the yellow and orange tailings, laden with heavy metals in Snowshoe Creek, and without the danger posed by mine openings,” Opp said.
Lead, gold and silver were mined at the site from the 1890s until 1964. The mining operation left behind approximately 100,000 cubic yards of tailings and waste rock adjacent to Snowshoe Creek on about 13 acres in the creek’s drainage area.
Contaminants include arsenic, copper, iron, mercury, lead, antimony and zinc. Some reclamation was done in the 1980s but proved unsuccessful, so reclamation began anew in 2007.
“Completion of this project will improve water quality in Snowshoe Creek and reduce the overall risk to human health and the environment posed by heavy metals,” Opp said.
The site ranks ninth on the state’s Abandoned Mined Lands priority list of hard rock mines. The project is a joint effort between the DEQ and USFS.
“While most of the site sits on private land and falls under the jurisdiction of the state, some of the tailings material is on Forest Service land so it makes sense for the agencies to collaborate,” said Nancy Rusho, Abandoned Mined Lands Program Leader, Region 1, USFS. “Our cooperation maximizes resources, is cost effective and protective of human health and the environment.”
Work includes tailings removal and disposal at a waste repository on USFS land. During the first two years of construction, crews temporarily diverted the creek to remove moisture from the tailings. They then placed two-thirds of the dry tailings into the waste repository.
Crews constructed the repository on Forest Service land about three miles away from the site.
This season, the remaining one-third of the tailings and waste rock will go to the repository for containment. Crews will close two open adits, cap the repository and revegetate the area. Finally, they’ll construct a trailhead parking area in the upper reaches of Snowshoe Creek.
For those with questions, contact Opp at 406-841-5030 or at sopp@mt.gov , Nancy Rusho at 406-329-3634 or nrusho@fs.fed.us , or Lynn Hagarty at 406-283-7502 or lhagarty@fs.fed.us .