Mining activities have the potential to release harmful substances into the soil, air and water. Extraction and processing produce tailings piles that can contain radioactive elements, mercury, and heavy metals; leach ponds of cyanide and brine solutions; metallic dust; and waste rock. Environmental contamination at mine sites can be particularly challenging to evaluate due to the variety of substances present and their potential to move from terrestrial to aquatic habitats as well as into plants, animals and the atmosphere. USGS has capabilities and expertise that can aid with site characterization, injury determination, and restoration.
To learn more about how USGS science supports the NRDAR program contact Jo Ellen Hinck, the USGS NRDAR Coordinator.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
Browse USGS publications related to NRDA mining cases.
Examples of assessment and restoration activities are listed below.
Assessment Projects
Biota
- Mercury Fluxes from Mercury Mines and Natural Sources to Wetlands and Their Impact on Biota
Principal Investigator - Josh Ackerman
- Fish Injury Assessments for Phosphate Mines
Principal Investigators -Aïda Farag and Chris Mebane
- In-situ Toxicity Testing of Crayfish
Principal Investigators - Ann Allert and Danielle Cleveland
- Chemical Characterization of Relocated White Sturgeon
Principal Investigator - Stephen Cox
- Effects of Methylmercury on Birds and Toxicity Benchmarks for Injury
Principal Investigator - Josh Ackerman
- Chemical Characterization and Histological and Biochemical Effects of Lead Exposure on Breeding Songbirds
Principal Investigators - Danielle Cleveland, Julia Lankton, Barnett Rattner, and Natalie Karouna-Renier
Soil and Sediment
- Slag Characterization in a Riverine System Downstream of a Lead Smelter
Principal Investigator - Stephen Cox
- Mussel Community Associations with Sediment Metal Concentrations and Substrate Characteristics in a Lead Mining District
Principal Investigators - John Besser, Mark Wildhaber, and Chris Schmitt
- Mussel Injury from Metals in a Lead Mining District
Principal Investigators - John Besser and Danielle Cleveland
- Mussel Toxicity Study in a Riverine System Downstream of a Lead Smelter
Principal Investigator - John Besser
Water
- Modeling Geomorphic and Hydraulic Factors Associated with Freshwater Mussel Distributions within a Lead Mining District
Principal Investigator - Maura Roberts
Restoration Projects
- Hydrologic Assessment for Restoration at the Questa Mine (New Mexico)
Principal Investigator - Amy Galanter
- UAS Data Collection for Restoration at the Questa Mine (New Mexico)
Principal Investigator - Matt Struckhoff
- Native Vegetation Restoration of a Former Chat Pile
Principal Investigator - Matt Struckhoff
- Vegetation surveys to support Restoration at St. Francois County Bonehole Restoration Site
Principal Investigator - Matt Struckhoff
Explore the NRDAR Case Map and Document Library to learn more about individual cases.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
Below are USGS publications associated with mining activities for specific NRDAR cases.
Effects of mining-associated lead and zinc soil contamination on native floristic quality
Effects of historical lead–zinc mining on riffle-dwelling benthic fish and crayfish in the Big River of southeastern Missouri, USA
Effects of mining-derived metals on riffle-dwelling crayfish in southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas, USA
Laboratory toxicity and benthic invertebrate field colonization of Upper Columbia River sediments: Finding adverse effects using multiple lines of evidence
Relating injury to the forest ecosystem near Palmerton, PA, to zinc contamination from smelting
Impact of mine and natural sources of mercury on water, sediment, and biota in Harley Gulch adjacent to the Abbott-Turkey Run mine, Lake County, California
Mining activities have the potential to release harmful substances into the soil, air and water. Extraction and processing produce tailings piles that can contain radioactive elements, mercury, and heavy metals; leach ponds of cyanide and brine solutions; metallic dust; and waste rock. Environmental contamination at mine sites can be particularly challenging to evaluate due to the variety of substances present and their potential to move from terrestrial to aquatic habitats as well as into plants, animals and the atmosphere. USGS has capabilities and expertise that can aid with site characterization, injury determination, and restoration.
To learn more about how USGS science supports the NRDAR program contact Jo Ellen Hinck, the USGS NRDAR Coordinator.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
Browse USGS publications related to NRDA mining cases.
Examples of assessment and restoration activities are listed below.
Assessment Projects
Biota
- Mercury Fluxes from Mercury Mines and Natural Sources to Wetlands and Their Impact on Biota
Principal Investigator - Josh Ackerman
- Fish Injury Assessments for Phosphate Mines
Principal Investigators -Aïda Farag and Chris Mebane
- In-situ Toxicity Testing of Crayfish
Principal Investigators - Ann Allert and Danielle Cleveland
- Chemical Characterization of Relocated White Sturgeon
Principal Investigator - Stephen Cox
- Effects of Methylmercury on Birds and Toxicity Benchmarks for Injury
Principal Investigator - Josh Ackerman
- Chemical Characterization and Histological and Biochemical Effects of Lead Exposure on Breeding Songbirds
Principal Investigators - Danielle Cleveland, Julia Lankton, Barnett Rattner, and Natalie Karouna-Renier
Soil and Sediment
- Slag Characterization in a Riverine System Downstream of a Lead Smelter
Principal Investigator - Stephen Cox
- Mussel Community Associations with Sediment Metal Concentrations and Substrate Characteristics in a Lead Mining District
Principal Investigators - John Besser, Mark Wildhaber, and Chris Schmitt
- Mussel Injury from Metals in a Lead Mining District
Principal Investigators - John Besser and Danielle Cleveland
- Mussel Toxicity Study in a Riverine System Downstream of a Lead Smelter
Principal Investigator - John Besser
Water
- Modeling Geomorphic and Hydraulic Factors Associated with Freshwater Mussel Distributions within a Lead Mining District
Principal Investigator - Maura Roberts
Restoration Projects
- Hydrologic Assessment for Restoration at the Questa Mine (New Mexico)
Principal Investigator - Amy Galanter
- UAS Data Collection for Restoration at the Questa Mine (New Mexico)
Principal Investigator - Matt Struckhoff
- Native Vegetation Restoration of a Former Chat Pile
Principal Investigator - Matt Struckhoff
- Vegetation surveys to support Restoration at St. Francois County Bonehole Restoration Site
Principal Investigator - Matt Struckhoff
Explore the NRDAR Case Map and Document Library to learn more about individual cases.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
Below are USGS publications associated with mining activities for specific NRDAR cases.