INTERIM DATA REPORT FOR CHAT PLACEMENT …Weston Solutions, Inc. - Chat Placement Pilot Study Interim Data Report for Tar Creek Superfiind Site, Ottawa County, OK » Section 5 - Future

INTERIM DATA REPORT

FOR

CHAT PLACEMENT PILOT STUDYTAR CREEK SUPERFUND SITE

TOWNSHIP 29 NORTH, RANGE 22, 23, AND 24 EASTOTTAWA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA

Prepared for

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6Linda Carter, Project Officer

1445 Ross AvenueDallas, Texas 75202

Contract No. 68-W-01-005Technical Direction Document Nos. 06-04-01-0010/06-04-08-0008

WESTON Work Order Nos. 12632.001.600.1803/12632.001.200.2161NRC No. N/A

CERCLIS No. OKD980629844FPNN/A

EPA RPMs Ursula Lennox and John MeyerSTART-2 Technical Director Dan N. MacLemore III, P.O.

Prepared by

Weston Solutions, Inc.Robert Beck, P.E., Program Manager

70 N.E. Loop 410, Suite 600San Antonio, Texas 78216

(210)308-4300

February 2005 951396

THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY WESTON SOLUTIONS, INC., EXPRESSLY FOR EPA. IT SHALL NOT BE RELEASED OR DISCLOSED INWHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT THE EXPRESS, WRITTEN PERMISSION OF EPA.

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Western Solutions, Inc. - Chat Placement Pilot Study Interim Data Report for Tar Creek Superfund Site, Ottawa County, OK

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Superfund Technical Assessment

and Response Team (START-2) contractor, Weston Solutions, Inc. (WESTON®), was tasked by

EPA Region 6 Response and Protection Branch (EPA-RPB) under Contract Number 68-W-01-

005, Technical Direction Document (TDD) Nos. 06-04-01-0010 and 06-04-08-0008 to conduct a

pilot study for placement of chat in a previously contaminated on-site area into existing mine

workings in the same on-site area at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Ottawa, County, Oklahoma.

The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Information System

(CERCLIS) Number assigned to the site is OKD980629844. This document is provided in

partial fulfillment of the scope of work described in the abovementioned TDDs issued on 27

January 2004 and 23 August 2004. The data that have been collected is presented in the

following report and attachments. Attachments include figures, tables, and subcontractor's

documents.

The scope of the work completed up through 21 January 2005 included the following activities:

• Selected the Montreal Mine site on the Bill Rush property for the chat placement pilotstudy.

• Selected the Tulsa Mine site on the Bingham Sand and Gravel operations at the Atlas pilefor the fines injection pilot study.

• Drilled one exploratory boring (4-inch diameter) and three 12-inch diameter borings forchat placement at the Montreal mine site.

• Mapped the Montreal Mine cavern in the vicinity of the three chat placement boringsusing SONAR technology.

• Developed and began implementation of a Work Plan (dated 28 October 2004) for drychat placement at the Montreal mine site.

• Collected and tested chat and fines for grain-size, moisture content, bulk density, andplasticity. The results of these tests are included in the attachments. Note: The data onthe fines bulk density are not available at this time.

• Placed chat in the borings at the Montreal mine using several different approaches.


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Weston Solutions, Inc. - Chat Placement Pilot Study Interim Data Report for Tar Creek Superfiind Site, Ottawa County, OK

This Interim Data Report is intended for the transmittal of data that have been collected to date

for the two pilot studies. Evaluations of the data and development of conclusions will be

presented in the final report on the pilot studies that will be prepared after they are completed.

This Interim Data Report was prepared by Weston Solutions, Inc. under Contract No. 68-W-01-

005 for EPA Region 6. The EPA Remedial Project Managers (RPMs) are Ursula Lennox and

John Meyer, and the START-2 Technical Director is Dan N. MacLemore III, P.G.

The EPA Task Monitor did not provide final approval of this report prior to the

completion date of the work assignment. Therefore, Weston Solutions, Inc. has

submitted this report absent the Task Monitor's approval.

The EPA Task Monitor has provided final approval of this report. Therefore,

Weston Solutions, Inc. has submitted this report with the Task Monitor's approval.


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Section

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A FiguresFigure 1 Site Location MapFigure 2 Montreal Mine Site MapFigure 3 Tulsa Mine Site Map

Attachment B Boring Log And Photographs - Boring RMB-1

Attachment C SONAR Reports

Attachment D Chat and Fines Physical Property Data

Attachment E Chat Volumes and Pile Heights

Attachment F Fines Injection Work Plan and Report

Attachment G General Water Quality Data

Attachment H Analytical Data

Attachment I Copy of TDDs and Amendments


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Weston Solutions, Inc. - Chat Placement Pilot Study Interim Data Report for Tar Creek Superfund Site, Ottawa County, OK.

1. INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 Superfund Technical Assessment

and Response Team (START-2) contractor, Weston Solutions, Inc. (WESTON®), was tasked by

EPA Region 6 Response and Protection Branch (EPA-RPB) under Contract Number 68-W-01-

005, Technical Direction Document (TDD) Nos. 06-04-01-0010 and 06-04-08-0008 to conduct a

pilot study for placement of chat into existing mine workings at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in

Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and

Liability Information System (CERCLIS) Number assigned to the site is OKD980629844. This

document is provided in partial fulfillment of the scope of work described in the abovementioned

TDDs, issued on 27 January 2004 and 23 August 2004.

As described in the TDDs, the START-2 goals at the Tar Creek Superfund site have been to

"provide technical and field support for the placement of chat and chat fines into the abandoned

mines... at two separate locations utilizing a dry method of placement for the pile run chat, and a

wet method of placement for the chat fines," (TDD 06-04-01-0010 with Amendments A through

E) and "installation of borings, sampling and analysis of chat and mine water, physical surveys

of above and below ground features, and collection and evaluation of historical data," (TDD 06-

04-08-0008 with Amendment A). In both cases, the chat and the fines were constantly in a

previously contaminated on-site area and disposed of in a previously contaminated on-site area.

This Interim Data Report is intended for the transmittal of data that have been collected to date

for the two pilot studies. Evaluations of the data and development of conclusions will be

presented in the final report on the pilot studies that will be prepared after they are completed.

1.1 REPORT FORMAT

This report has been organized as follows:

• Section 1 - Introduction• Section 2 - Site Background• Section 3 - Actions Taken• Section 4 - Data Summary


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» Section 5 - Future Work

All attachments are provided as separate portable document format (PDF) files.


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Western Solutions, Inc. - Chat Placement Pilot Study Interim Data Report for Tar Creek Superfund Site, Ottawa County, OK

2. SITE BACKGROUND

The following information regarding the site background, location and description was obtained

from the Site Summary for the Tar Creek Superfund Site available on the internet at:

http://www.epa.gov/earthlr6/6sf/pdffiles/0601269.pdf

The site is part of the Tri-State Mining District which includes northeastern Oklahoma,

southeastern Kansas, and southwestern Missouri. Specifically, the site includes the Old Picher

Field lead and zinc mining area located in northeastern Ottawa County. Extensive underground

mining for zinc and lead ore took place in the area from approximately 1891 to early 1970. The

site was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983 and consists of several operable units

(OUs). The work for the Interim Data Report is specific to OU4, the chat piles, mill waste ponds

and transitional areas.

The specific portion of the site where the dry chat placement pilot study was performed is in an

area of approximately 40 acres on property now owned by Mr. William Rush in the NW % of the

NE !4 of Section 32, Township 29 North, and Range 23 East in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The

Rush property includes the Montreal Mine area. The history of the Montreal mine is largely

unknown. Records from the archives at Missouri Southern State University indicate that the

mine was active in the 1920s and drilling logs are dated from 1915 to 1920. The drilling logs

indicate zinc and lead ore was encountered at depths from approximately 120 to 190 feet below

the ground surface with thicknesses up to 35 feet.

The specific portion of the site where the wet fines pilot study was performed is in an area of

approximately 5 acres, known as the Atlas Pile, on property owned by Bingham Sand and Gravel

Company in the SE !/4 of the NW !/4 of Section 22, Township 29 North and Range 23 East in

Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The Atlas Pile area lies above the Tulsa Mine. The history of the

Tulsa mine is largely unknown. Records from the archives at Missouri Southern State

University indicate that the mine was active in the 1920s, and drilling logs are dated in 1924 and

1925. The drilling logs and mine maps indicate that lead and zinc ore was mined from depths of

approximately 200 to 250 feet below the ground surface with ore thickness up to 25 feet.


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The ground surface of both pilot study locations is partially covered with piles of chat up to 20

feet tall. A substantial portion of the rest of these areas is covered with a chat layer

approximately 3 to 10 feet thick.

2.1 SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS

There have been numerous investigations of the Tar Creek Superfund Site since it was listed on

the NPL in 1983, but there have been none at the specific mines/properties where the pilot

studies have been conducted.


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3. ACTIONS TAKEN

To date, START-2 has conducted the following activities in order to satisfy the requirements of

the TDDs:

• Selected the Montreal Mine site on the Bill Rush property for the chat placement pilotstudy. The mine location is shown on Figure 1 in Attachment A, Site Location Map.

• Selected the Tulsa Mine site on the Bingham Sand and Gravel operations at the Atlas pilefor the fines injection pilot study. The mine location is shown on Figure 1 in AttachmentA, Site Location Map.

• Drilled one exploratory boring (4-inch diameter) and three 12-inch diameter borings forchat placement at the Montreal mine site. The boring locations are shown on Figure 2 inAttachment A, Montreal Mine Site Map. The draft boring log for Boring RMB-1 is inAttachment B.

• Mapped the Montreal Mine cavern in the vicinity of the three chat placement boringsusing SONAR technology. The SONAR Reports from the subcontractor Sonarwire, Inc.are in Attachment C.

• Developed and began implementation of a Work Plan (Document Control Number12632.2004.0525, dated 28 October 2004) for dry chat placement at the Montreal minesite. The work plan was previously submitted and is not included in this report.

• Collected and tested chat and fines for grain-size, moisture content, bulk density, andplasticity. The results of these tests are included in Attachment D. Note: The data on thefines bulk density are not available at this time. These results, along with results of futuregeotechnical testing will be included in the final report on the pilot studies.

• Placed chat in the borings at the Montreal mine using several different approaches:

- Gravity placement through an 8-inch diameter tremmie pipe.

- Gravity placement through a 12-inch diameter open boring.

- Placement using an 8 3/4-inch diameter auger in a 10-inch diameter conductor pipeinto the cavern.

• With little addition of water, and

• With more water added at the top of the boring.


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Data on the volumes injected and the resulting pile heights in the cavern are in

Attachment E.

• Drilled three borings for fines injection and monitoring at the Tulsa mine site. Theboring locations are shown on Figure 3 in Attachment A, Tulsa Mine Site Map.

• Conducted a fines injection pilot study at the Tulsa mine. The subcontractors work planand pilot study report are included in Attachment F.

• Collected general water quality data, in situ, using a multi-parameter probe placed inborings adjacent to the placement/injection borings at the Montreal and Tulsa mines.These data are in Attachment G.

• Collected and analyzed chat and fines for total metals and leachable metals. The resultsof the testing are in Attachment H.

• Collected baseline water quality data from both sites. Tabulations of the data for theMontreal and Tulsa mines are included in Attachment H.

• Collected interim water quality data from the Montreal mine site. Tabulations of the datafor the Montreal mine site are included in Attachment H.

• Collected post-injection water quality from the Tulsa mine site. Tabulations of the datafor the Tulsa mine are included in Attachment H.

• Collected air quality data up and down wind of the operations at both the Montreal andTulsa mine sites. These data are not complete at the present time and are not included inthis report.

Analytical testing has been performed by Severn Trent Laboratories, Inc. of Corpus Christi,

Texas. Drilling has been performed by Venture Drilling of Talequah, Oklahoma, and Mohawk

Drilling of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and geotechnical testing has been performed by Midwest Testing

and Engineering Corporation of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.


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4. DATA SUMMARY

While a detailed evaluation of the data and results of the pilot study are beyond the scope of this

report, there are a number of observations that are appropriate at this time:

GENERAL

• The mine maps and boring logs generated by the mining companies that have been usedso far are accurate enough to rely on for predictions of volumes and locations of minecaverns.

• Air-drilling techniques are appropriate for drilling the injection/placement borings.

• Surface casing through the upper soils and weathered rock are essential to boringstability.

CHAT PLACEMENT

• The maximum sustainable placement rate for chat in a 12-inch diameter boring usinggravity without the addition of substantial (>10 GPM) water is 12 to 15 cubic yards perhour.

• The maximum sustainable placement rate for chat in a 10-inch diameter conductor pipeusing 8 3/4 -inch augers is approximately 30 cubic yards per hour.

• The chat is extremely abrasive, rapidly wearing out augers, conductor pipe, etc.

• Preliminary data indicate more than 60 cubic yards per hour of chat placement areachievable when adding 75 gallons per minute of water to assist the flow of chat into an8-inch diameter conductor pipe.

• The percentage of fines and the moisture content have a substantial impact on thematerials handling characteristics of the chat.

• There is an impact on water quality in the vicinity of the chat placement but, at this time,it does not appear to be substantial when compared with the volume of water in the mine.

• Angles of repose for the chat in a water-filled cavern range from approximately 30 to 14degrees. The flatter angles are generated by rapid chat placement and may result in morethan a four-fold increase in the volume that can be placed in a given boring using slowerplacement methods. Chat volumes and pile heights recorded during the placementoperations are in Attachment F.


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• Pilot Study daily equipment and personnel costs of between $4,000 and $5,000 forgravity feed operations and $6,000 to $7,000 for the wet feed operations are higher thanthey would be for long-term operations.

• The most recent chat placement (water assisted gravity feed) appears to be capable ofmore than 60 cubic yards per hour. The estimated cost for chat placement by this methodappears to be on the order of $7.00 to $8.00 per cubic yard excluding amortized costs formobilization, injection holes, monitoring, etc.

FINES INJECTION

• The fines are injectable as slurry at rates exceeding 200 tons (120 cubic yards) per hour.

• The pilot study was conducted at a mix ratio of approximately 1:1 water to solids byweight.

• The fines must be screened to keep larger debris such as roots, scrap lumber, andmiscellaneous garbage that had been thrown into the fines piles from going into thesystem.

• Pilot Study operating costs of $800 to $900 per hour ($8,000 to $9,000 per day) result inan estimated long term operating cost of approximately $7.00 per cubic yard plusamortized mobilization, injection holes, monitoring, etc.

• The slurry deposited the solids into a cone with a radius of approximately 120 feet fromthe injection boring (an angle of repose of approximately 10 degrees).

• Based on the estimated angle of repose, the capacity of the injection boring (with a 24-foot high ceiling) is approximately 17,600 cubic yards.

• There is an impact on water quality in the vicinity of the fines placement but, at this time,it does not appear to be substantial when compared with the volume of water in the mine.


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5. FUTURE WORK

The chat placement pilot study will continue through approximately the end of February 2005

and a detailed report will be issued following completion of the study.


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INTERIM DATA REPORT FOR CHAT PLACEMENT …Weston Solutions, Inc. - Chat Placement Pilot Study Interim Data Report for Tar Creek Superfiind Site, Ottawa County, OK » Section 5 - Future