The following links are documents or links to reports, expert testimony and lawsuit documents for your information and research. Thank you for protecting water in the Black Hills, and for future generations.
South Dakota Minerals and Mining Program
History of Mining Regulation in South Dakota
The following is a history of mine regulation in South Dakota since the first laws that regulated surface mining were enacted in 1971. Events are listed in chronological order, starting with the most recent year.
Make Note that the SD DANR has not updated this important History since 2018.
2018 In January, the Board of Minerals and Environment released Homestake’s reclamation liability for 44.02 acres at its Open Cut surface mine in Lead. The board also reduced Homestake’s reclamation bond from $1,246,000 to $178,700 and increased its postclosure surety from $41,979,523 to $47,797,929.
Remediation work continued at the Gilt Edge Mine. In 2018, the EPA contractor removed sludge from and partially backfilled the Dakota Maid Pit. Partial backfilling of the Sunday Pit was also completed.
Activities under this phase were completed in September 2018.
On February 12, 2018, the EPA, the state of South Dakota, and a mining company entered into a contract to conduct a hydrogeologic study of the area to better define the geology, structure, contaminant sources, and groundwater flow at the Gilt Edge Mine. Read More
South Dakota DANR – Interactive Map used to report Tanks, Spills, and Environmental Events https://apps.sd.gov/NR42InteractiveMap
July 2020 – NEW REPORT Published. Uranium Atlas by Beyond Nuclear: Facts and Data about the Raw Material of the Atomic Age. — https://beyondnuclearinternational.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/uraniumatlas_2020.pdf
CI Opposition to Motion Summary Disposition 09012017 PDF (for download)
Oglala Sioux Tribe Response to Summary Disposition with Exhibits (for download)
CHEYENNE RIVER STUDY SHOWS ELEVATED URANIUM IN ANGOSTURA RESERVOIR Press Release…Read More.
For the full CHEYENNE RIVER STUDY click here. Recent research by two South Dakota School of Mines and Technology scientists and a scientist from California State University-Fresno confirmed what we have long suspected – that elevated uranium levels are present in Angostura Reservoir in the southern Black Hills. The study tested stream sediments along the Cheyenne River watershed from old abandoned uranium mines to Angostura Reservoir.
McLean Testimony on Toxicity of Uranium for Crow Butte Mine NRC Hearing
IN SITU LEACH URANIUM MINING AND WATER WHAT DO WE KNOW?
This little booklet will provide you with more information about In situ leach mining (ISL). ISL will only work when a uranium deposit is located in a groundwater aquifer. Basically, water is used as a mining tool.
Wells are drilled into a uranium ore deposit in a grid pattern. Water mixed with sodium bicarbonate concentrate and oxygen – called “lixiviant” — is pumped down into the deposit and through the uranium ore. It leaches the uranium and other heavy metals out of the rock, so they can be pumped to the surface of the ground.
Read more: Water Booklet – 2nd ed
Black Hills Clean Water Alliance 