The Montana Department of Environmental Quality invites public comment on a draft Environmental Assessment for a revision to the reclamation plan of the Montana Tunnels Mining facility about 25 miles south of Helena near Jefferson City. The gold, silver, lead and zinc mine has not operated since December 2008 and its permit was suspended on June 5, 2018.
DEQ is proposing to modify the reclamation plan to address repair and restoration needs for Clancy Creek. Pit wall stability issues began impacting Clancy Creek in approximately 2013. As a result, Montana Tunnels Mining chose to temporarily use a plastic pipe to convey the flow of Clancy Creek past the pit wall. The revised reclamation plan would address the long-term restoration of the impacted section of Clancy Creek near the facility’s pit.
DEQ prepared a draft Environmental Assessment to analyze potential impacts from the proposed operating permit No. 00113 project, which can be viewed online at deq.mt.gov/Public/ea/hardrock.
