8.d) Zavoral Mine Water Monitoring 2013 Annual report-WCDAs
INGTON
ONSERVATION
I
S
T
R
I C T
MEMORANDUM
TO: Kristina Handt, Administrator, City of Scandia
455 IIAYWAJ�D AVE N
C1AKaALE kiN 551 a8
FROM: Erik Anderson, Water Resource Specialist
DATE: January 15, 2014
RE: Zavoral Mining and Reclamation Project — Annual Surface Water Monitoring Report
As per the contract (13-01) between the Washington Conservation District (WCD) and the City of Scandia,
WCD staff performed surface water monitoring tasks pertaining to Technical Service 1 of Exhibit B. This
memorandum serves as a summary of those activities.
The Washington Conservation District installed stream monitoring equipment at two locations on Zavoral
Creek in 2013. One site is located at the monitoring point that was installed for the EIS pump test near the
creek mouth (referred to simply as Zavoral Creek), the other site is located upstream of all groundwater
inputs to the creek (Crystal Springs). This paired monitoring setup can be used to help determine sources of
impacts to Zavoral Creek by potentially either eliminating or supporting the mine as a source. Continuous
turbidity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, specific conductivity, stage, velocity, and discharge data were
collected at both locations. Water quality samples were collected during base and storm flow at Zavoral
Creek and analyzed for total & volatile suspended sediments. No samples were collected at Crystal Springs.
Equipment at both locations was installed on 6/12/13 with the intention of gathering baseline data previous
to the commencement of mining activities. Due to the harsh winter weather, all equipment was removed at
Crystal Springs on 10/31/13 and the stage/flow recorder was removed at Zavoral Creek on 11/14/13. At
the time of this report, all other parameters are still being recorded. Macroinvertebrate samples were
collected in June and September to be used as baseline data for comparisons to future data collection.
Results/ Conclusions/ Recommendations
Surface water data collected at Zavoral Creek and Crystal Springs from 6/12/13 — 12/31/13 were analyzed
by the WCD for this summary. To date, data results do not indicate any impacts to the stream caused by the
mining operations. It should be noted, quick unsustained spikes in turbidity have been recorded at both
stream monitoring locations, independent of each other, previous to any mining activities occurring, and in
the absence of recorded rainfall. Possible explanations for these anomalies include logger error, sediment
adhering to the sensor, animal activity in the stream, or some other natural phenomenon. These data have
been included in the final dataset to show that very short fluctuations in stream turbidity have been recorded
previous to and outside of any mining activities. A reading of 1616 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units)
was recorded at Zavoral Creek on 11/17/13 at 8:00 pm (after site preparation but before any hauling activity
began) and is not thought to be a result of any mining activities, mainly due to the time it occurred and the
adjacent 15 -minute periods recorded 0 NTU. This is an example of sediment possibly adhering to the sensor
or some other cause of a quick anomaly in the data. Tables and hydrographs showing the data collected at
Zavoral Creek and Crystal Springs in 2013 can be found at the end of this report.
Groundwater data collected by Leggette, Brashears, and Graham, Inc. was compared to the surface water
data to determine if a correlation exists between the two datasets. The groundwater elevation data suggests
that groundwater is potentially flowing in a southeast direction towards Middle Creek. Currently no
monitoring activities are taking place on Middle Creek and in order to assess any groundwater impacts on the
creek, it is recommended that a surface water monitoring station collecting the same continuous parameters
Supervisors: Louise Smallidge - Bob Rosenquist o George Weyer o John Rheinberger - Jim Levitt
as the existing stations be installed. I recommend monitoring the same locations on Zavoral Creek and
Crystal Springs in 2014, following the same procedures and methods as in 2013.
2013
Zavoral Creek
Crystal Springs
Average Baseflow Discharge (cfs)
0.27
No baseflow
Peak Discharge (cfs)*
0.69
1.66
Average Baseflow Turbidity (NTU)
0
No baseflow
Peak Turbidity (NTU)**
854
2268
* Discharge was not collected at Zavoral Creek during
the Crystal Springs peak discharge event
**Excludes anomaly data
cfs: cubic feet per second
NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units
2500
-500
Zavoral Creek & Crystal Springs Turbidity,
Bone lake Monitoring Station Daily Precipitation
1 1 iei
-4f�`___
,1
j 111
I'll
I
91
11
,'
,;1;
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t}AI
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Crystal Springs Turbidity
Zavoral Creek Turbidity
1 1
a
Bone Lake Precipitation
1 1
■
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,° 1'
1 1 1'
1 1
1 1
■
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1� 1�
11 1
11
111
111
1
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11
11
11
11
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Altia1 PlP atpri )IS h*.d
714413 a/23,113 10112/13 12/1}13
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
c
0
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EL
0.8 a`
1 1.4
o�
0
0
0
0
a
an
N
0
0
0
Zavoral Creek & Crystal Springs Stage,
Bone Lake Monitoring Station Daily Precipitation
0
0.2
0.4
0.6 c
0.8 a`
1
1.2
1.4
Zavoral Creek & Crystal Springs Discharge,
Bone lake Monitoring Station Daily Precipitation
1.8 r 1 ,1 1, 11 , 1 1 1 1 I ----------1 r -r r 0
1 tl f 0 ;; I j1j11 k i ;1 i 1 1 11 4P11 i i i W1' `r 1 1 i i i 0
1 11 0 1 ! IPI ! I A I 1 1 1
1 1 1
191 ; —� Crystal Springs Discharge
1 i11 1fu i1 r ,i i 1� ' i ii i1 i1 '1 ii,1 i��i1 3
1.6 Zavoral Creek Discharge
1 ;0� 11 i 1 11 a 11 11 1111 11,1
------- Bone Lake Precipitation
1 1 11 11 1' 11, 1 11 1 1 • I1 11 11 1, 01 0.2
1 I 11 11 11 11 1 11 1 1 • 11 11 01 1,
1 1 11 �1 1� 11 I 1, ,111 • 11 11 11 11
1.4
, 1 • 11 11 1 1, 111, 1 11 „
1 01i 10 11 M11 11 j1
0.4
1.2
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
7/4/13
8/23/13
10/12/13
12/1/13
0.6 c
0.8 a`
1
1.2
1.4
Zavoral Creek & Crystal Springs Temperature,
Bone
Lake Monitoring Station
Daily
Precipitation
30
' 11 11
i° 1 °1
------ -�--i l--rr---------------------�� ---•�-
1 1 ,1°x'11 1 1 1 1 IJ'' ° 1 i
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1 1 1
Crystal Springs
Temperature
Zavoral Creek Temperature
1 1
11 �, 11
1 11111
, 1
11 11 11 11 „
. 1111 ,,,1
1 1�
1 1
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j1 1' 11
1 11111
1 11111
,/1
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'1 • 1, 11 „
1° M 11 11
■ 1111 ,,,1
i Iljl ;;'�
------- Bone Lake Precipitation
ii
0.2
25
1
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1
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11
1 1
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0.4
20
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0
1.4
5/15/13
7/4/13
8/23/13
10/12/13
12/1/13
Zavoral Creek & Crystal Springs Dissolved Oxygen,
Bone lake Monitoring Station Daily Precipitation
14 0 r ----t r, -----, i i -* -- - r i ---, T, 0
,
Z� r as ya ■w + ,- � w ri i +
i i` �� ww I iwA I I i r± rIgwg'i 0.
, w� I � I■w I � '. wf'l
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• Crystal Springs DO
8 „w o ry o
Zavoral Creek DO
tw
,r ------- Bone Lake Precipitation 0.6 c
d '
o
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d '
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0 0.8 a`
JA
4
1
2
1.2
0� T
5/115/13 7/4/13 8/23/13 10/12/13 12/1/13
-2 1.4
Zavoral Creek & Crystal Springs Specific Conductivity,
Bone
Lake Monitoring Station Daily Precipitation
600
1, 1 11 ,1 /,
Tf1
I
1
--_--_ ----------V-1---- .1 ----s --/
I I/ 1
/ ,
q � 1
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r i l! ' l'
� � i i 91Soo
7r.
0.2
Crystal Springs Conductivity
400
_jlj
'i,
0.4
11„
I
1
,1
„ Zavoral Creek Conductivity
11„
11„
1 I
t I
11
1 1
1
1
1° 11
1° 11
Ilr
"•
t I
19
9
1
1° 11
°' '°------- Bone Lake Precipitation
u
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t
300
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1
0.6
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100
1
0
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1.2
5/15/13
1
7/4/13
8/23/13 10/12/13 12/1/13
-100
1.4