Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Smoky Canyon Mine, Panels F &G Final Environmental Impact Statement

Executive Summary

Simplot Main Page

Chapter 1 - Purpose & Need

Figure 1.0-1 Location Map

Figure 1.0-2 Existing and Proposed Operations

Figure 1.0-3 Known Phosphate Lease Areas

Chapter 2 - Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives

Figure 2.3.1 2004 Existing Operations

Figure 2.3-2 Open Pit Mining

Figure 2.4-1 Proposed Action Ultimate Pit Map

Figure 2.4-2 Typical Haul Road

Figure 2.4-3 Pit E-0 Area to be Backfilled from Panel F

Figure 2.4-4 Proposed Action Final Configuration Map

Figure 2.5-1 Overburden Cap Design

Figure 2.6-1 Panel F Ultimate Pit Map without Lease Modifications

Figure 2.6-10 Convey Characteristics

Figure 2.6-11a Crow Creek Wells Canyon Access Road

Figure 2.6-11b Crow Creek Wells Canyon Access Road

Figure 2.6-2 Panel F Final Configuration without Lease Modifications

Figure 2.6-3 Final Configuration without Seleniferous External Overburden

Figure 2.6-4 Final Configuration without Any External Overburden

Figure 2.6-5 Alternative D Cover Design

Figure 2.6-6 Dinwoody Shale Burrow Pits and Stockpiles

Figure 2.6-7 Alternative E Power Line Along Haul Access Road

Figure 2.6-8a Transportation Alternatives

Figure 2.6-8b Unreclaimed Areas for Transportation Alternatives

Figure 2.6-9 Transportation Alternatives with IRAs

Chapter 3 - Affected Environment

Pages i thru 3-76

Pages 3-77 thru 3-185

Pages 3-186 thru 3-250

Figure 3.1-1 Surface Geology and Faults

Figure 3.1-2 Panel F Area Cross Section

Figure 3.1-3 Panel G Area Cross Section

Figure 3.1-4 Stratigraphic Section

Figure 3.1-5 Ecological Conceptual Site

Figure 3.2-1 Noise

Figure 3.3-1 Location Map - Water Resources

Figure 3.3-2 Aquatic Influence Zones

Figure 3.3-3 Surface Water Monitoring Stations

Figure 3.3-4 Panel F East - West Cross Section

Figure 3.3-5 Panel F North - South Cross Section

Figure 3.3-6 Panel G East - West Cross Section

Figure 3.3-7 Panel G North - South Cross Section

Figure 3.3-8 Monitoring Well Locations

Figure 3.3-9 Modeled Potentiometric Surface and Groundwater Flow Direction

Figure 3.4-1 Soil Mapping Units Of Panel F

Figure 3.4-2 Soil Mapping Units of Panel G

Figure 3.4-3 Order 3 General Soils of Transportation Areas

Figure 3.5-1 Vegetation Cover Types

Figure 3.5-2 Noxious Weeds

Figure 3.6-1 Wetlands

Figure 3.7-1 Big Game Winter Range

Figure 3.7-2 Western Toad Habitat at Sage Meadows

Figure 3.8-1 Fisheries and Aquatics Survey Locations

Figure 3.9-1 Grazing Allotments in the CEA

Figure 3.10-1 USFS Road Designations and Recreational Points

Figure 3.10-2 Private Owners

Figure 3.10-3 Management Prescriptions - Suitable Timber

Figure 3.10-4 Land Status and Special Use Permits

Figure 3.11-1 Inventoried Roadless Areas

Figure 3.12-1 Visual Quality Objectives

Figure 3.12-2 Viewshed

Figure 3.12-3 Viewshed

Figure 3.12-4 Viewshed

Figure 3.12-5 Viewshed

Figure 3.12-6 Viewshed

Figure 3.12-7 Viewshed

Figure 3.12-8 Viewshed

Chapter 4 - Environmental Consequences

Pages i thru 4-122

Pages 4-123 thru 4-253

Figure 4.3-2 Location of Points Modeled COPC Concentrations

Figure 4.3-3 0.05 mgl Selenium Plume at 47 Years, Proposed Action

Figure 4.3-4 0.005 mgl Selenium Plume at 100 Years, Proposed Action

Figure 4.3-5 0.05 mgl Selenium Plume at 48 years, Alternative A

Figure 4.3-6 0.005 mgl Selenium Plume at 100 years, Alternative A

Figure 4.3-7 0.05 mgl Selenium Plume at 50 years, Alternative B

Figure 4.3-8 0.005 mgl Selenium Plume at 100 years, Alternative B

Figure 4.3-9 0.05 mgl Selenium Plume at 50 years, Alternative C

Figure 4.3-10 0.005 mgl Selenium Plume at 100 years, Alternative C

Figure 4.3-11 0.005 mgl Selenium Plume at 100 years, Alternative D

Figure 4.12-1 Visual Simulation

Chapter 5 - Cumulative Effects

Figure 5.1-1 CEA for Geology, Minerals and Topography

Figure 5.2-1 CEA for Air and Noise Resources

Figure 5.3-1 CEA for Ground Water Resources

Figure 5.3-2 Site Investigation Wells

Figure 5.4-1 Cumulative Effects Area for Surface Water, Soils, Vegetation, Wetlands, Fisheries and Aquatics, Visual/Aesthetics, Cultural, and Noise Resources

Figure 5.8-1 CEA for Wildlife, including Special Status Species

Figure 5.10-1 CEA for Grazing Management

Figure 5.11-1 CEA for Recreation and Land Use

Figure 5.12-1 CEA for Inventoried Roadless Areas

Chapter 6 - Consultation and Coordination

Chapter 7 - Comments and Response

Chapter 8 - References, Index, Acronyms and Glossary

Appendices

Appendix 2A- CERCLA Investigations and Response for Smoky Canyon Mine and South Fork Sage Creek

Appendix 2A - Part 1

Appendix 2A - Part 2

Figure 1 Sage Valley Area October 2006 - Surface Water and Groundwater Monitoring Locations

Figure 2 E Panel Groundwater Monitoring Locations - October 2006

Figure 3 Pre E-Panel Total Selenium Concentrations for HS and LSS (1991 - 1998)

Figure 4 Flow and Total Selenium Concentrations for HS and LSS During E-Panel Activities
(April 1999 - September 2004)

Figure 5 Flow and Total Selenium Concentrations for HS and LSS During E-Panel Activities
(October 2004 - January 2007)

Figure 6 Smoky Canyon Mine Monthly Precipitation Totals

Figure 7 E Panel External ODA Run-on Areas

Figure 8 2006 Reclamation Status E Panel

Appendix 2B- Stream Crossing Analysis

Appendix 2C- Environmental Commitments and BMPs for Haul/Access Roads

Appendix 2D- BMPs for Erosion, Sedimentation, and Selenium Control

Appendix 2E- Monitoring Plan

Appendix 3A- Water Resources

Part 1- Historic Stream Flow Measurement Summary and 2003 and 2004 Stream Flow Measurement Data

Part 2- Summary of Surface Water Data

Part 3- Summary of Sediment Data

Part 4- Summary of Water Rights Points of Diversion

Part 5- Summary of Groundwater Data

Part 6- Graphical Plots - Figures H1-H9

Part 7- 2005 Groundwater and Surface Water Data Tables

Part 8- 2006 Water Monitoring Data Report

Part 9- GYC 2005 Data

Part 10- 2005 Water Monitoring Data Collected by Newfields

Part 11- 2005 Water Monitoring Data ACZ

Part 12- 2006 Water Monitoring Data Collected by Newfields

Appendix 3B- Spawning Gravel Requirements for Cutthroat Trout

Appendix 3C- Selenium Bioaccumulation (Chapman Report)

Part 1- Chapman

Part 2- Summary of Review Comments and Actions Taken

Part 3- Chapman Tech Memo Summary of Van Kirk and Hill 2006

Appendix 4A- Watershed Erosion Prediction Project Modeling

Appendix 4B- Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Biological Evaluation

Appendix 7A- Federal, State, and Local Agencies and Elected Officials Comment Letters on the DEIS