ABANDONED MINE INVENTORY, ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION: CASE STUDIES ON THE KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA

The Klamath Mountains Province has a long mining history, and many abandoned mines. National Forest abandoned mine land (AML) programs locate and identify mine hazards, and restoration opportunities. Assessment of AML is also critical in property evaluations for land acquisitions and exchanges. Problems associated with AML on Forest lands include unsafe mine openings, erosion and mass wasting of mine waste materials, threatened failure of relict impoundment structures, acid mine drainage, abandoned drums containing hazardous materials, and unneeded or sediment-producing mine roads.

Geologists, engineers, and other earth scientists work closely together in the process of field inventory, hazard assessments, ranking and prioritization of sites, site investigation, proposal development, and project implementation. Partnerships with other agencies are utilized to: expand the framework of knowledge; accomplish more restoration particularly on mixed-ownership sites; and increase opportunities for implementation funding. An interdisciplinary approach using other skills in related sciences of botany, fisheries, wildlife, and archeology is used to ensure a long-term rehabilitation of sites and to protect resources.

Case studies are presented on various Klamath National Forest AML sites including: (1) mine adit gating and wildlife habitat improvement; (2) sediment tailings dam removal and channel stabilization; (3) contaminant removal; (4) mine waste stabilization and containment, and (5) mine road repair and stormproofing.