ABANDONED MINES IN EASTERN WASHINGTON: WHERE ARE THEY AND WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH THEM?

The Bureau of Land Management Spokane District manages public land in eastern Washington, a region with an extensive mining history and today, many Abandoned Mine Land (AML) sites. The importance of mitigating the hazards found at these sites to the environment and public, in congruence with advancing technology, has created a need for updated data inventory, site prioritization, and guidance for field staff. The BLM uses the Abandoned Mine Site Cleanup Module (AMSCM) to track information regarding AML and HAZMAT sites; the Spokane District's Border Field Office had 53 sites and 139 features in this database at the beginning of this project, but there are conservatively 1,000 more features that could be recorded in AMSCM. Furthermore, the newest version of the database imposes unique challenges as new users adjust to new technology. Without adequate resources, training, and consistent AMSCM updates, hazardous AML sites will remain a risk to watersheds and public safety.

For users of advanced ESRI products (i.e., ArcGIS Pro and Field Maps), AMSCM 3.0 invites the opportunity to inventory, verify, and update existing AML information. There are three workflows that have been the focus of this project: discovering new sites, maintaining and monitoring existing sites, and incorporating existing data into AMSCM. Organizing data in AMSCM and the associated ArcGIS Pro methods will allow swift project and site management. This project involves the use of data from hard copy files, cultural and wildlife reports, previous GIS datasets, and field work to update AMSCM. ArcGIS Pro and Field Maps methods will be compiled into an ‘AMSCM Handbook’ for the office and verified AMSCM data will be organized for future reclamation projects. These outcomes will guide new BLM staff with AMSCM 3.0, as well as establish a reliable starting point for field office AML information. AMSCM Summer 2022 updates have contributed to a completer and more reliable geospatial dataset for the BLM Spokane District AML program. This project and similar future work supports BLM’s mission of abating historic mine hazards and will ultimately help improve the watersheds and public safety of eastern Washington.