USGS Abandoned Mine Lands Intiative (AMLI)
Assessment of Metal Bioavailability in a Watershed Affected by Abandoned Mine Lands
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) selected the Upper Animas watershed as one of two pilot watersheds for the Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative (AMLI), which uses expertise in geology, hydrology, and biology to prioritize stream reaches for remediation and to evaluate the success of remediations. USGS has developed a study plan for the Upper Animas watershed in cooperation with federal land management agencies (Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service) and the Animas River Stakeholders Group.
The Upper Animas River drains the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, Colorado. The upper Animas and two major tributaries, Cement Creek and Mineral Creek, drain the Silverton Caldera, a geologic formation which has been the site of over 1500 active mines which extracted deposits of gold, silver, zinc, lead, and copper. Mining in the watershed started in 1873 and peaked in the early 1900s. The last significant mine closed in 1991. Downstream of Silverton, the Animas enters the narrow Animas Canyon, a rugged and scenic area accessible only by foot or by a historic narrow-gauge railroad.
Page 2 of 13: Previous Page || Next Page
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://amli.usgs.gov/reports/foodweb/assess2.html
Page Contact Information: Webmaster
Page Last Modified: 18-Dec-2007@19:12
