Published: January 11, 2022 |

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A hazardous former bentonite mine in northwest Wyoming has been reclaimed to address safety concerns, the Bureau of Land Management announced recently.

The Cottonwood Creek Bentonite Mine, which sits on public land three miles north of Cody, was abandoned in the 1960s. The area has become popular for off-roading, so the agency developed a plan to remove the hazards and reclaim the mine site, the BLM said in a press release last week.

“When the mine was abandoned, four trenches in unstable sedimentary rock, propped open with old timbers, were left behind, creating a hazardous environment for the public. We’re grateful the State of Wyoming shared our commitment to make this area safer for public land users,” BLM Geologist Gretchen Hurley, who also serves as the Abandoned Mine Lands coordinator for the Cody Field Office, said in a statement.

The project began with workers opening the hazardous mine trenches to assess them. Next, they used existing mine soil that had been stockpiled at the site to backfill the trenches, compacting each opening and re-contouring the entire ridge, according to the BLM. Erosion control equipment was also installed on the site, with the team using old mine timbers as part of the effort.

Afterward, workers reseeded the area with native plants such as Wyoming big sagebrush and Gardner saltbrush, according to BLM.

The BLM partnered with the state of Wyoming on the work. Wyoming’s Abandoned Mine Lands money paid for the project.

“Through cooperation and partnership with landowners, the BLM, and other land managers, we can fulfill our mission to make these sites safe for our citizens while returning them to a productive natural state,” said Wyoming AML Division’s Kurt Imhoff, who managed the site closure for the state.

Source: Casper Star Tribune

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