The Kendall Mine

OVERVIEW

The Kendall Mine is an open pit, cyanide leach mine located northwest of Lewistown, Montana. The mine is owned by Canyon Resources, the mining company behind the proposed McDonald Gold Project on the Blackfoot River. Although the mine operated for only 6 years, it has caused its downstream neighbors no end of problems.

Water Quality

Plagued by cyanide spills, liner tears, and numerous other problems during the mine’s years of operation, the Kendall mine has contaminated surface and ground water in the area with cyanide, arsenic, selenium, nitrates, sulphates, and thallium.

Alan and Stephanie Shammel, ranchers downstream of the mine, are just two of the unfortunate recipients of this water. Their spring has been contaminated with selenium, sulfate, and thallium at levels that exceed state water quality standards.

After four years of ongoing water quality violations at the Kendall mine near Lewistown, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) finally issued a $330,000 penalty against Canyon Resources in September 1998. The penalty was assessed for discharges of industrial waste (selenium, thallium, arsenic, manganese, nitrates, and cyanide) into five stream drainages emanating from the Kendall mine.

Water Quantity

Water quality isn’t the only problem. In order to address ongoing water pollution, Canyon Resources installed a "pumpback" system. The system intercepts contaminated surface and groundwater in four drainages emanating from the mine and pumps the water back into the mine site. A number of snowmaking machines are then used to spray the contaminated water into the air to evaporate the water and concentrate the pollutants onto the leach pad.

Stephanie and Alan Shammel, along with neighboring families, have had numerous water quantity problems due to operations at the Kendall mine.

While Canyon Resources may believe that the best way to address water pollution is to remove the water altogether, ranchers and farmers downstream of the mine, along with MEIC, have a substantially different view.

Reclamation Bonding

On July 18th 1999, MEIC notified the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) that it would file suit against the agency if it did not enforce the Montana Metal Mine Reclamation Act and require an adequate reclamation bond for the Kendall Mine near Lewistown. The threat worked. Just as MEIC was preparing to its file suit, DEQ ordered the company to post an additional $6.2 million bond for reclamation of the mine site. Kendall’s current bond is only $1.89 million - one fourth the amount ($8.1 million) DEQ has now determined is necessary for long-term water treatment at the mine.

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For more information

• See Alan & Stephanie Shammel, et. al. v. Canyon Resources Corp.: (Billings Gazette, 3/9/06)

• March 2005 Update
• Canyon Initiates Unapproved "Reclamation" (August 2004)
• Lawsuit seeks action against Kendall mine (By The Associated Press - 4/03/04) HELENA (AP) A lawsuit filed by two environmental groups asks a federal court to require the defunct Kendall gold mine stop polluting creeks nearby, but the mine owner says the site is safe. Read article.