Casper Field Office
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Elser | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
BLM Begins Scoping on Remediation Plan in Natrona County
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Casper Field Office announces the availability of a modification to a plan of operations to remediate low pH water in a pit lake at a former uranium mine in the Gas Hills Mining District of Natrona County, Wyo.
Power Resources, Inc., doing business as Cameco Resources, reclaimed the Buss Pit area in 1994 and 1995. The approved reclamation plan included a 17-acre final groundwater-fed impoundment at the Buss I Pit (Buss Pit Lake). Between 1995 and 2001, the pH of the pit lake declined from 7.4 to 4.0 and currently appears stabilized at 3.8.
To mitigate the acid conditions at the Buss Pit Lake, Cameco proposes to treat the low pH water with lime to achieve a pH above 7.0. The water level and water quality of the pit lake will be monitored over the next 15 years. If, despite treatment with base additives, degradation of the Buss Pit Lake water continues to occur, Cameco will implement a backfill option. The Buss Pit Lake will be backfilled to an elevation that lies above the anticipated future groundwater recovery elevation.
The modification to the plan of operations submitted by Cameco Resources as well as maps of the project area are available for public review and comment by visiting the BLM website at http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/cfo/buss.html.
The public comment period runs from April 10 through May 11, 2012. Comments should be addressed to AFM Minerals and Lands, BLM-Casper Field Office, 2987 Prospector Drive, Casper, WY, 82609. Comments may also be emailed to casper_wymail@blm.gov; please include "Buss Pit" in the subject line.
For more information, please contact BLM Geologist Tom Foertsch at (307) 261-7630.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Casper Field Office 2987 Prospector Dr. Casper, WY 82604