Baseline Studies
Kennecott Tamarack Mine
Tamarack, Minnesota

   

 In 2006, Foth initiated baseline environmental studies for Kennecott's Tamarack Project, a high-grade nickel and copper intrusion located west of Duluth in Tamarack, Minnesota.

The project is in a water rich environment characterized by widespread wetlands, streams and lakes. Baseline studies began with a limited number of stream gauging stations to monitor seasonal flow and water chemistry. As exploration efforts returned positive results, the baseline studies program was scaled up to include more stream gauging stations covering several potentially affected watersheds and a reference watershed. To date, 22 stream/lake monitoring stations have been established in the vicinity of the Tamarack Project.

Groundwater studies have included aquifer pumping tests and the installation of regional groundwater monitoring wells to characterize the regional hydrogeology of the Quaternary deposits. Foth has completed studies to characterize the hydrogeology of the fractured bedrock using optical televiewer techniques, fluid resistivity measurements, discrete fracture water quality testing, and packer tests. Other baseline studies have included reconnaissance level surveys of habitat and studies on the geochemistry of the intrusion and hard rock.