322  MONTANA—1992Department of Labor and Industry, overall mining
employment,
including 
petroleum and coal industry workers, dropped to 5,800, a decrease of 100
workers from that reported in 1991. Metal mining employment remained at 2,300
workers, unchanged from 1991. Average weekly earnings for Montana's mineral
industry nonsupervisory personnel increased to $595 from the $594 figure
recorded in 1991. 
 
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 
 
 Montana's two cement manufacturers 
~ applied for State and Federal permits to burn hazardous waste. Holnam Inc.

~ proposed to burn hazardous waste at its ~ cement plant at Trident, near
Three Forks, and Ash Grove Cement West Inc. 
at its plant near Helena. A citizens group wants a moratorium on burning
hazardous waste and laws passed to require a statewide vote before a company
is allowed to import and burn such waste. 
Holnam said that cement plants cannot be compared with hazardous waste incinerators
because the kilns would not burn the same chemicals as incinerators. 
Also, the higher temperatures of the cement kilns are more effective in destroying
chemicals. 
A number of mining companies have 
applied to the Montana Department of Health for exemption to the State's
water nondegradation regulations. Included were the Stillwater Mining Co.
at its Stiliwater platinum-palladium properties and Noranda at its proposed
Montanore project. State law forbids any water discharge that would lower
the quality of a stream. An exemption would allow a mining company to discharge
into State waters as long as the water retained or exceeded all Federal and
State water quality standards. 
 Cleanup continued in the Anaconda and Silver Bow Creek/Butte areas of the
Clark Fork Superfund site, Deer Lodge County. At the Anaconda smelter complex,
two repositories were constructed on Smelter Hill. Process waste from the
Arbiter refining facility was removed and taken to one of the repositories.
The solids, sludge, and 
water had been stored in two ponds and 
four concrete bunkers east of the plant. Owing to the wet nature of the material,
dry contaminated tailings from the Old 
Works tailings pond, adjacent to Warm 
Springs Creek, were mixed and hauled with the sludge. Beryllium wastes from

the Opportunity Ponds and Weather Hill areas were removed. The contaminants
were encased in specially designed 
hazardous material boxes, then sealed in the other repository. At the Old
Works 
site, three retention basins were constructed to intercept storm flow and

prevent erosion into the creek. Work continued on cleaning up the Warm Springs
Ponds section of Silver Bow Creek. Contamination of the ponds was the result
of decades of mining, milling, and smelting waste being dumped into Silver
Bow Creek. The Anaconda Co. 
built a series of three tailings dams to prevent waste from entering the
Clark Fork drainage. During periods of high water, the creek was allowed
to flow around the ponds down the Mill-Willow bypass; this practice no longer
is allowed. 
Work at Warm Springs included 
reconstruction of the upper third of the bypass, including its preparation
as a fish habitat, construction of wet closure cells to increase water retention
times, the building of a weather monitoring station, and a new computerized
water-treatment facility. 
 
EXPLORATION ACTW1TLES 
 
 According to the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG), there was a
significant downturn in mineral exploration activity in 1992, by as much
as 50 % . Much of it was confined to later-stage projects and the reclamation
of previous activities. The primary exploration targets continued to be gold
and other precious metals; however, some interest was directed to massive
sulfide deposits of copper, lead, and zinc. The U.S. Bureau ofLand Management
(BLM) reported the filing of 5,718 new mining claims in the State, compared
with 5,745 in 1991, 6,692 in 1990, and 13,084 in 1989. The total number of
active claims was estimated at 67, 1 14. There were two 
land patents granted in 1992; they included seven claims and covered a total

of 121.77 acres. According to the 
Montana Department of State Lands, there were 433 active exploration 
projects, compared with 845 in 1991 and 
1,000 in 1989. Many were those in a reclaiming stage, and the majority consisted
ofprivate individuals expending 
time rather than money on properties. 
 hi the northwest region, south of 
Libby, Bruce Switzer sunk a shaft in search of gold in the Flower Creek drainage.
After entering into an option agreement with Orvana Resources Co., Pegasus
Gold Inc. explored and drilled Orvana's Libby Gold (Lukens-Hazel) project
between Flower and Granite 
Creeks. Reportedly, Pegasus may 
acquire up to 70 % of the property through exploration expenditures prior
to 
September 1995. The property is 4 miles from Libby and is considered ideally

suited for heap leaching. Kennecott Exploration Inc. drilled for copper and
silver near the Snowshoe Mine. Bulk sampling in search of gold was done by
George Shaw on his Raven claim in the Snowshoe drainage, by Bill Ericksmoen
on the Blacktail project in Bramlet Creek, and by Gwen Bakie on her Merril
property in the West Fisher drainage. 
Hard Rock Mining Co. drove an adit near lower Houghton Creek. In the Trout
Creek area, ASARCO Incorporated (Asarco) did assessment work in both the
Trout Creek drainage and the Miners Gulch drainage on the Vermillion River.

In search of base metals, Jon Sonju reopened adits on Glidden and Cherry
Creeks, near Thompson Falls. Leroy Haun drilled and reopened an adit on the
Riverside property. East of Missoula, Pegasus Gold continued its drilling
program in the Garnet Range, identifying six small ore bodies. Mountain Minerals
Co. drilled at its Coloma bante property. South of Bearmouth, FMC Gold drilled
for gold in Brewster Creek on its Sliderock project, in Stony Creek, and
on its Schively Ridge project in Juneau Gulch. Cyprus Metals drilled and
trenched for gold in volcanic deposits on Basin Gulch. South of Darby, Pegasus
Gold drilled in the Blue Joint Wilderness