THE SPENCEVILLE COPPER MINE CLOSURE 1

Abstract

Spenceville Mine is an abandoned copper mine located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. The mine was operated intermittently from the 1880's until 1918. The site was covered with mine tailings and overburden materials. In addition, the central portion of the site was occupied by a flooded open pit, which contained approximately 6 million gallons of acidic water with a pH averaging 2.5. The U.S Army owned the site from 1941 to 1962, at which time it was transferred to the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) with the creation of the Spenceville Wildlife Refuge. The closure plan was approved by the regulatory agencies in early 2001, and mine closure activities began in April 2001. In subsequent months a water treatment plant was constructed and used to treat the pit water. The treated water was then applied to land in the vicinity of the site. The mine waste was excavated, treated with lime, and placed in the dewatered pit. A two foot layer of local soil was placed as cover over the entire site, and a mine-impacted stream was restored to its original channel. In addition to these tasks, closure activities had to address the potential for unexploded ordnances, reclamation of shafts and tunnels in the dewatered pit, and documentation of cultural resources.