Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)

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Condition assessment of tailings-impacted wetlands at the Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District Superfund Site, Neihart, Montana
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Sovner, Nicholas Steven; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Scott Powell
In this study, I evaluate the condition of two wetlands down-gradient of mine tailings at the Carpenter-Snow Creek Mining District (CSCMD) Superfund Site near Neihart, Montana. Wetlands contaminated with mine waste are unique in that they are highly disturbed, but they still perform some level of ecological function and service. The CSCMD consists of 70 historic mine sites in the Upper Belt Creek watershed. Historic metal mining activity occurred between the late 1800s and early 1900s, with exploration activities occurring as late as the 1980s. Waste rock from mining and milling operations generated numerous tailings piles that expose heavy metals to erosion and subsequently contaminate groundwater, surface water, and stream sediments. Therefore, wetland rapid assessment tools were used to assess the capacity of wetlands to perform ecological functions. My objective was to identify which of four methods is the most effective at identifying functional loss. Rapid assessment methods included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Function (HGM), the Montana Department of Transportation - Montana Wetland Assessment Method (MWAM), the Montana Natural Heritage Program - Montana Ecological Integrity Assessment (MEIA), and Montana Department of Environmental Quality - Wetland Assessment Protocol (WAP). The methods were performed on pairs of impacted and reference sites along Carpenter Creek and Belt Creek. My results indicate that MEIA displays the greatest sensitivity for differences between reference sites and impacted sites with a difference of 0.38 (out of 1) for the Belt Creek sites and 0.46 for the Carpenter Creek sites, while HGM displays slightly less sensitivity with differences of 0.31 and 0.40, respectively. The WAP shows the least absolute difference in index scores in the Belt Creek watershed (0.17), and the MWAM shows the least absolute difference between sites in the Carpenter Creek watershed (0.17). These results are useful for mining-related environmental cleanups where a decision regarding whether wetlands should be left in place, removed and reconstructed, or newly created where none currently exists. At cleanup sites, where long-term monitoring of wetland and riparian systems is necessary after reclamation, my study will help regulators and consultants determine whether a chosen remedial action was successful at eliminating, or at least significantly reducing, the effects of mine waste.
Remote sensing for monitoring vegetation disturbance and reclamation for appalachian surface mines: a case study on the fola mining complex in west virginia
(Montana State University, 2020) Walaszczyk, Erin Jean; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Scott Powell
Surface coal mining has caused a variety of negative environmental impacts, especially in regions like Appalachia. Federal regulations are in place that govern the mining and reclamation of surface coal mines, including placing the responsibility of reclaiming the land on mine operators. Historically, the priority for reclamation was land stability, which was often completed using grasses. However, this led to a loss of native forest resources and a drastic alteration of the landscape. In 2004, the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative was developed to promote reclaiming coal-mined lands to native forest vegetation using the Forestry Reclamation Approach guidelines. Monitoring is a critical component for analyzing mining impacts and reclamation success. This is often completed using field monitoring, which can be time-consuming, expensive, and labor-intensive. Using publicly available remote sensing data offers an alternative, cost-effective method. Therefore, my study used the Fola mining complex in West Virginia to explore applying remote sensing techniques with Landsat satellite data to monitor vegetation and land cover changes. My primary objectives included applying methods of image classification, change detection, and NDVI analysis across the entire complex as well as individual mining permit sites. I also analyzed areas with differing post-mining land uses (hayland versus forest). Results demonstrated that these methods could be successfully applied to assist in assessing reclamation and monitoring through the tracking of vegetation health and land cover changes across times correlating to pre-mining, mining, and reclamation. NDVI results revealed a reduction in vegetation health following mining as well as an increase post-reclamation. When I compared samples from individual mines, the mine using forest vegetation in the reclamation process had significantly higher mean NDVI values. Land classification offered complementary information through tracking patterns of land cover. During active mining, there was an increase in barren land and a reduction in forest. When comparing the specific mines with different post-mining land uses, the mine using forest vegetation had significantly more forest land cover following reclamation. These types of remote sensing tools may provide additional information to managers that contribute to the success of achieving environmental goals, while potentially reducing costs and labor.