WEI PUBLICATIONS
	Gold Mine Redefines Traditional Remediation 1996 ACEC Honor Award Winner in Water Resources Category Black Pine Mine, Inc. operates a heap leach gold mine on U.S. Forest Service land in Idaho. Arsenic-contaminated tailings, placed by others more than 40 years ago, were eroded and deposited along 7,700 feet of the Tallman drainage which is on Forest Service and BLM lands. CERCLA, traditionally a 5-10 year remediation process, was initiated but found to be unacceptable due to inevitable delays inherent to the traditional CERCLA process, costly and unnecessary investigations, and the possible interference of ongoing mining operations. Black Pine Mining, Inc., took a leadership role with the Forest Service to redefine the rules for remediation. Waste Engineering, Inc., and a support team quickly defined the extent of the contamination and the environmental risks, developed a remediation plan, and obtained support from the Forest Service and EPA in only six months. The Black Pine Mine team consisted of professionals from Black Pine Mine, Waste Engineering, Inc. (lead engineering firm); Parsons, Behle and Latimer (legal); Schafer and Associates (geochemistry); Greystone Environmental Associates (environmental assessment); Ernie Pemberton (sedimentation); and Canonie Environmental (construction quality assurance). The remediation plan developed was timely, protective of the environment, and eliminated costly interruptions to mining. The Black Pine Mine team worked to resolve apparent inconsistencies between CERCLA and other federal regulations on the design of a remediation program. The following innovative techniques were used in the remediation program:
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