TP8 Biomonitoring
A105 & A106
1:20 PM - 4:40 PM, Tuesday
() Ecological Evaluation of EPA Clean-up at Continental Mine Site.
Gaston, G1, Audet, D1, Beyer, W2, Campbell, J1, Hansen, J1, 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Spokane, WA, USA2 U.S. Geological Survey, Laurel, MD, USA
ABSTRACT- Continental mine released a very large amount of lead (Pb) contaminated mine tailings into an otherwise pristine environment. This mine site is located in a Wilderness area in the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho near the Canadian border. The impacted area is within the Idaho Panhandle National Forest which provides key habitat for threatened and endangered species including: grizzly bear, lynx, woodland caribou, and bull trout. In 2003, EPA conducted an Ecological-based remediation which consolidated 50,000 cubic yards of highly contaminated mine tailings away from the riparian zone. Simultaneously, we conducted a baseline assessment of small and large mammal exposure to heavy metals. Small mammals contained Pb concentrations similar to or exceeding those measured on the Bunker Hill Superfund Site prior to clean–up. Similarly, large mammal (black bear, deer) fecal Pb concentrations were at least one order of magnitude higher than fecal samples recently collected on Bunker Hill. These data indicate that ecological receptors, including threatened and endangered species, are potentially exposed to toxic doses of heavy metals.
Key words: Lead, Small Mammal, Ecological Evaluation, Fecal