RILEY PASS BLUFF

Riley Pass Bluff J & K Mine Reclamation - Ludlow, SD

Powered by the cold war era and the United States race for nuclear weapons, the land in the area of Riley Pass was exploited for its uranium. Currently, the US Forest Service is proceeding with reclamation activities to reduce the potential contaminants from impacting the environment. Belair Sitework Services consolidated mine waste at the sites located on Bluffs J & K and constructed a four foot thick clay cap over the waste materials. Compost was imported and incorporated into the cap surface to facilitate re-vegetation. Furthermore, dams were built to create sedimentation ponds which will further reduce downstream sediments from impacting area wildlife. Personal protection equipment (PPE) and occupational monitoring played a major component during the project planning and its execution.

Owner: US Department of Agriculture

Contractor: United States Forest Service

Project Facts:

• Relocating waste to the cap area required rigorous dust management.

• Located in a very remote wilderness area with very limited support or accommodations.

• Poor accessibility to site prior to arrival.

• Combined, Bluff J & K Mine were about 20 acres.

• Aside from environmental contamination issues, dam construction safety issues were addressed with no recordable incidents.