April 2000

Waterfowl Mitigation Plan
PitWatch Issue Volume 5, Number 1

Montana Resources and ARCO are currently implementing the "Berkeley Pit Waterfowl Mitigation Plan" which was approved by the EPA and other agencies in May 1998. This program is primarily aimed at locating waterfowl in the area and then hazing the birds to fly away.

An observation station has been set up at the best vantage point overlooking the pit area. This station is an enclosed building equipped with high-power spotting scopes and spotlights (for night viewing) to locate, count and identify species of waterfowl landing on the water surface. MR personnel make hourly observations during the spring and fall migration, while the pit is not frozen, and cut back to 5-6 observations per day during the non-migratory season.

A variety of devices are used to haze birds off the water and out of the pit. From the observation station, MR personnel shoot rifles and shotguns in the air, and also launch 4" rockets to get the waterfowl to move away. In addition, three Phoenix Wailers - high-tech devices that emit predator and electronic sounds - are located near the surface of the pit water to discourage birds from landing. Also, a 22-foot houseboat, docked near the pump barge, is used for periodic excursions on the water to haze waterfowl that ignore the other warnings.

Not all types of birds react to hazing. Usually, most ducks, geese and swans will react immediately to the noises. Diver birds, like grebes and loons tend to go under water as their natural defense when they are alarmed. Normally, if the birds are not hazed or disturbed, they will leave the pit area at nightfall. If sick or injured birds are found, MR personnel use the houseboat to retrieve them and transport the waterfowl to a local veterinarian or a fresh water source.

Ongoing Research Projects at the Pit
PitWatch Issue Volume 5, Number 1

The Berkeley Pit is one of the most high-profile examples of the adverse impacts of mining. Although the Berkeley Pit Superfund site is currently in a simple monitoring mode, an extensive amount of work is performed locally related to the understanding and remediation of the Pit and similar systems.

Ongoing projects include:

• treatability studies including metals recovery and in-situ treatment
• use of photocatalytic reactions to enhance water treatment
• demonstration of innovative technologies, such as a Biosulfide process for recovery of copper sulfide, zinc sulfide and sodium hydrosulfide products
• vertical and seasonal characterizations of Pit water
• biological surveys
• remediation using algae
• wall-rock interaction with water
• evaluation of organic carbon in the Pit
• use of neural networks to simulate the Pit system.

For more information about these and other projects, contact MaryAnn Harrington-Baker, EPA’s Mine Waste Technology Program at MSE Technology Applications, (406) 494-7240, James Madison, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, (406) 496-4619, and Steve Anderson, Montana Tech Mine Waste Technology Program, (406) 496-4409.

Update on Montana Resources' Copper Recovery Effort
PitWatch Issue Volume 5, Number 1

Montana Resources (MR) began recovering copper from Berkeley Pit water in early 1999. Since that time, adjustments have been made to improve the copper recovery process. It is too early to tell if significant changes are occurring in the composition of Pit water due to copper recovery.

The water intake pipe was originally placed 10 feet below the water surface. Copper recovery was less than expected primarily because the type of iron in the water at that depth is oxidized, which interferes with copper recovery. The intake pipe was lowered to 40 feet below the water surface and then, in a cooperative effort among MR, MSE-TA, and the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, the intake was lowered to a 100-foot depth in December 1999. The lower the intake pipe, the better the copper recovery.

Currently, 10,000 gallons of water per minute is pumped from the Berkeley Pit to the processing station east of the Pit. MR is recovering approximately four million pounds of copper annually. The product grade is about 65 to 70 percent copper with the remainder being primarily iron. After copper removal, the water is returned to the Pit. For each pound of copper recovered, two to three pounds of iron are added to the processed water. Also, the return water is slightly less acidic.

As a reminder: Montana Resources is recovering copper by a process known as "cementation," in which copper-containing water flows into cells filled with scrap iron. The iron in the cells and the copper in the water trade places. The water leaves with a higher iron content and the copper clings to the remaining iron.

Meet Our Science Fair Winners
PitWatch Issue Volume 5, Number 1

The Committee awarded $50 savings bonds to each of these grade school students and a $250 savings bond to the high school winner. Their science fair projects all explored important topics related to the Berkeley Pit. Congratulations, and keep up the good work! The Committee will offer awards again at the 2001 Science Fair, and students are encouraged to choose projects related to the Pit for next year's competition.

	Emily Munday 5th grade, Kennedy Elementary Food for Trout: a comparative benthic invertebrate survey
	Tim Obstar 6th grade, Hillcrest Elementary We Otter Clean the Water
	Charlie Larson 7th grade, East Middle School How Much Sludge is in the Pit Water?
	Donna Driggers 8th grade, East Middle School What are the Effects of the Berkeley Pit Water on Plant Life?
	Brian Wheeler 11th Grade, Butte Central High School Effectiveness of Berkeley Pit Water Remediation Methods: Lime Precipitation, Reverse Osmosis, Copper Cementation

The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology is in charge of handling requests for Berkeley Pit water, and in the past 10 years, the Bureau has shipped over 150 batches (about 5 gallons each) of Pit water to researchers around the globe. Just in the last year, the Bureau has shipped water to the following groups:

• Virotec International (Australia, seawater-neutralized bauxite water treatment process)
• Electrometals Technologies (Australia, electrowinning process for copper recovery)
• Biomet Mining (Canada, biosulfide process for copper and zinc recovery)
• University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio, sulfate-reducing bacteria process for copper and zinc recovery)
• Ion Separations (Virginia City, Montana, proprietary water treatment/metals recovery process)
• MSE Technology Applications (Butte, Montana, evaluation of returning settled slurry from lime treatment to the Berkeley Pit)
• U.S. Geological Survey (Kearneysville, West Virginia, water treatment process using limestone in carbon dioxide-pressurized reactor)
• Notre Dame University (South Bend, Indiana, testing of biomass materials for absorption of metals)
• Eltron Research (Boulder, Colorado, electrolytic metals removal process)
• Seaspan International (Canada, proprietary process)
• Montana Tech (Butte, Montana, various projects evaluating cleanup options)

Since the State of Montana considers Berkeley Pit water to be hazardous waste, shipments of the water must comply with EPA and Department of Transportation requirements.

In July 2000, Montana Resources suspended mining operations. The suspension has had a direct impact on the Berkeley Pit water levels and efforts are underway to deal with the problem.

The immediate concern is treating the Horseshoe Bend water, which had been diverted away from the Berkeley Pit since 1996. Based on data from July 1 to September 30, 2000, about four to five million gallons per day is entering the Pit from the Horseshoe Bend flow. Montana Resources had been treating this water as part of its mine operations.