Conda Mine/Woodall Mountain

The Conda/Woodall Mountain site covers an area of approximately 4,600 acres, on both public and private lands, within the Southeast Idaho Phosphate Mining District.  Historical phosphate mining involved excavation, handling, and on-site disposal of overburden rock containing trace amounts of selenium.  The overburden disposal and reclamation practices used historically at this site have contributed to mobilization and transport of selenium to the environment.  Formation Environmental conducted remedial investigations and is now developing response actions at this site in accordance with the Superfund/CERCLA process for remedy development and implementation.

Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS)

As the lead technical consultant for the RI/FS process, Formation has designed, planned, and implemented investigations to evaluate the effects of historical mining activities on the environment.  Formation is also conducting the baseline human health and ecological risk assessments, which consider a range of different receptor groups associated with current and possible future land uses.  Working closely with our client, Formation has identified and developed early response actions with the goal of integrating those actions into the final remedy ultimately selected by EPA.  The early actions provide overall improvement in site conditions and demonstrate the client’s commitment to proceed with work necessary to reduce risks to the environment and address environmental issues.

Engineering Design

Formation’s team of engineers designed a Non-Time-Critical Removal Action to stabilize a steep-sided overburden pile.  Re-contouring combined with precipitation-runoff controls were designed to limit erosion and infiltration; a vegetated cover was included to further reduce infiltration of water into overburden and subsequent release and migration of selenium to the environment.  Formation provided the Engineer of Record for the project and also worked in conjunction with our client’s mine-engineering team to manage construction activities for implementing the Removal Action.