Project Name: Stewart Milllsite Project Start Date: August 1999 Project End Date: December 1999 County: Lander State: Nevada Latitude: 39° 30.3' N Longitude: 116° 55.9' W (Approximately)

Austin, Nevada and the Stewart Millsite

Nearest Town and Distance: On the edge of Austin, Nevada

Project Cost: The initial estimated cost for cleanup was $50,700. The final cost was $63,000. The unexpected cost of the storage tank removal ($10,000) and salvage contracting resulted in the project exceeding the original cost estimate by about 23%.

Project Partners: In 1999, the newly created Nevada Interagency Minelands Remediation Task force resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for Abandoned Mined Lands remediation and reclamation activities in Nevada. Signatories include: the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Nevada Division of Minerals, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nevada Division of Wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the Desert Research Institute. In addition to implementing a statewide collaborative plan for the future, BLM remediated two AML millsites located in priority watersheds during 1999.

Reasons for Action: This site was chosen because of its potential to impact the aquifer that supplies the town's water, the fact that it lies in a drainage which is tributary to the Reese river, and the presence of large amounts of trash, scrap, and derelict machinery that posed an easily accessed hazard to public safety. This was one of the first two abandoned mined land sites remediated for protection of priority watersheds identified in the Nevada Unified Watershed Assessment and Restoration Priorities. Nevada has 31 other priority sites for remediation, pending the availability of funding.

History of Site: The Stewart Millsite claim was established in 1968, and a contentious relationship with the claimant, who refused to provide a bond or maintain the site, developed shortly after. The site was inactive by 1985. In 1986 many spilled and unsecured hazardous chemicals were discovered during an inspection by NDEP. In 1991 a citizen complaint led to an emergency hazmat cleanup initiated by the Lander County Sheriff's office, during which a wide variety of dangerous chemicals was removed. BLM issued a Notice of Noncompliance in 1992 and Record of Noncompliance in 1993. The deaths of both claimant and operator in 1999 ended the search for a Potentially Responsible Party for remediation.

Abandonded equipment at the Stewart Millsite

Construction Narrative: BLM began the cleanup with a salvage contract in August of 1999. Cleanup was completed in mid-December with reseeding by BLM employees and contracting of well plugging. The BLM provided two pieces of heavy equipment to be operated by the contractor. This lowered costs and increased the productive use of underutilized equipment, but created some uncertainty of scheduling and responsibility for repairs.

Removing the two underground tanks

Reclamation activities

Remediation activities included:

• Opening and regrading impoundments in the drainage
• Removal of abandoned equipment �
• Reclamation of the three solution ponds after removing sediment and liner and backfilling them
• Removal of two underground tanks and sampling of contents for disposal
• Recontouring the two leach heaps
• Removal of 89 cubic yards of onsite trash
• Preparing the site for revegetation
• Reseeding the site with native shrub, grass, and wildflower species
• Plugging the well

Supplementary Narrative: Contracting can be done directly through the Denver Business Center for contracts less than 100 thousand dollars if a statement of work and accurate government cost estimate are provided. Early involvement with other interested agencies and local authorities. Engineering input in cost estimation and design will be critical on larger projects. Preparation of surface for reseeding should be emphasized to the contractor.

Supplemental Trip Reports and Site Inspections:

Additional Resources:

Briefing Points for the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program [64 kb PDF Document]

Efficient Permanent Closures of Abandoned Mine Safety Hazards on BLM Managed Lands [104 kb PDF Document]

For More Information, Contact:

Chris Ross, PhD

BLM NV 920
PO Box 12000
Reno, NV 89520-0006

(775) 861-6571

c1ross@nv.blm.gov

Submitted By: Chris Ross, PhD

Date: August 2004

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