Scope of Work RDM Baseline Monitoring 2021-2022 .docx

Statement of Work

Red Devil Mine - Alaska Baseline Monitoring

A. Introduction The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is conducting response action at the Red Devil Mine, located on the Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska. The project is being performed using the process defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) phase of the process is complete and resulting documentation can be downloaded from the project administrative record using the following url:

https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/abandoned-mine-lands/regional-information/alaska/projects/red-devil-mine In addition to the characterization data and analysis documented in the RI report, the three following documents summarize groundwater/surface water characteristics and previous baseline monitoring:

· Red Devil Mine Groundwater and Surface Water Report (August, 2019)

· Final Work Plan, 2019 Baseline Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring, Red Devil Mine, Alaska (May, 2019)

· Final 2019 Baseline Monitoring Report, Red Devil Mine, Alaska (June, 2020) This scope of work describes baseline monitoring activities to be performed in 2021 with an option to conduct monitoring in 2022.

B. Background The Red Devil Mine (RDM) was once the leading mercury producer (mine and retort) in Alaska. The mine has been inactive since the early 1970’s and the site is currently being managed by the BLM. Extensive ore processing was performed at the mine site, leaving large volumes of tailings adjacent to Red Devil Creek (Figure 1). The processed tailings are the primary contaminant source at Red Devil Mine.

Data analysis performed as part of the RI indicate that groundwater in the vicinity of Red Devil Creek, where the vast majority of the tailings and waste rock are located, contains elevated concentrations of the three primary contaminants of concern (COCs): arsenic, mercury and antimony. Monitoring wells were installed and sampled in the vicinity of the tailings piles as part of the initial RI. Additional groundwater monitoring wells were installed in 2015 and 2017 to characterize groundwater in the bedrock aquifer upgradient of the tailings. The current monitoring network consists of older and newer wells and was designed characterize groundwater conditions throughout the lower Red Devil Creek watershed. The baseline monitoring program employs a subset of the monitoring wells and surface water sampling stations, established during the RI, to track seasonal variability in a fractured rock aquifer that is locally influenced by natural ore and collapsed underground workings.

Baseline monitoring consists of three tasks: planning, field data collection and reporting. Sampling and analytical methods build on data collection performed as part of the RI and previous baseline monitoring work plans document how methods have been adapted for baseline monitoring. Well locations and surface water sampling stations are illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 (attached). Note that the attached figures illustrating the locations of all monitoring wells and surface water sampling stations. The 2021 baseline monitoring program does not include all sampling locations shown in Figures 2 and 3. The reporting task is designed to summarize baseline data with minimal analysis.

The baseline monitoring approach is limited to groundwater and surface water sampling. All surface water samples are to be collected in lower Red Devil Creek. No water or sediment samples are to be collected from the Kuskokwim River as part of this scope of work.

C. Base Scope of Work This Scope of Work describes the tasks to be completed as part of semiannual baseline monitoring, at the Red Devil Mine. The base period of performance consists of a spring and fall sampling events in 2021. A second year of baseline monitoring, consisting of spring and fall sampling in 2022, may also be awarded subject to available funding.

C.1 Task 1 –Planning The contractor shall be responsible for technical and logistical planning in coordination with the BLM and multiple regulatory agencies. The contractor shall accomplish the following as part of the planning task:

1. Developing a project schedule that defines all field work and deliverables

2. Meeting planning milestones as defined in the project schedule

3. Developing annual work plan for BLM and regulatory agency review and comment

4. Developing subcontracts and coordinating with all subcontractors and commercial laboratories

5. Purchase three new bladder pumps to be installed in monitoring wells MW06, MW16 and MW17. The work plan shall be modified to describe new pump installation (see Task 2, bullet 2).

6. Modify the work plan to describe how three existing bladder pumps shall be moved to different monitoring wells (see Task 2, bullet 3) The contractor shall develop the 2021 Baseline Monitoring Work Plan by updating the 2019 work plan. The number of sampling locations and the list of analytical methods have been reduced for this scope of work. The contractor shall modify the work plan so that the content reflects the level of effort and laboratory analysis described in this scope of work.

C.2. Task 2 – Field Data Collection Field data collection will be performed in two different sampling events; one in late May or early June and second in September. The spring event will be conducted shortly after spring breakup when surface runoff and water table elevation is at or near the annual maximum. The fall event will be conducted during early fall when stream flow is typically approaching a minimum prior to freeze up and water table elevations begin seasonal decline.

The contractor shall be responsible for providing all labor, materials, equipment and logistics necessary to:

1. Mobilize to the project site all personnel, equipment and material needed to perform monitoring activities

2. During the spring 2021 event, install new bladder pumps in monitoring wells MW06, MW16 and MW17 (see Task 1, bullet 5).

3. Remove the bladder pumps for wells MW01 and MW31 and discard the tubing. Decontaminate the pumps and install in wells MW32 and MW55 using new discharge tubing (See Task 1, bullet 6).

4. Collect depth to static water level measurements on all monitoring wells listed in Table 1, including those wells that are not scheduled for sampling collection. Depth to water measurements are to be completed for all wells within a 24 hour period during both the spring and fall sampling events.

5. Collect groundwater and surface water samples following methods and protocols defined in the final work plan at the monitoring wells highlighted in yellow in Table 1 and the surface water sampling stations listed in Table 2.

6. Ensure that all samples are transported to the laboratory under chain of custody such that laboratory analysis is performed within holding times prescribed for all analytical methods

7. Coordinate with the BLM at lease once a week while data collection is ongoing

8. Demobilizing personnel, equipment and material from the site at completion of field data collection period At the time the static water level is measured in each well, the contractor shall measure the elevation difference between the top of casing to adjacent ground surface. The measured difference shall be reported with water table elevation results as a check on impacts of seasonal frost on well casing elevation.

The contractor shall be responsible for arranging lodging, food and field transport for the field crew during the data collection period. Seasonal lodges are available in both Red Devil and Sleetmute. The contractor is not responsible for providing lodging, food or field transport for any government employees as part of this task order.

Groundwater Monitoring Groundwater monitoring shall be performed at the 28 monitoring wells highlighted in yellow in Table 1. The two decommissioned wells will not be sampled or monitored. Northing and easting are provided as Alaska State Plane coordinates.

Table 1 Baseline Groundwater Monitoring Well Summary Base Scope of Work

Notes:

1. Groundwater samples shall be collected from monitoring wells highlighted in yellow

2. Northing and easting are provided as Alaska State Plane coordinates.

Surface water monitoring in Red Devil Creek Surface water monitoring shall be performed to evaluate discharge rate and surface water quality at seven locations on lower Red Devil Creek. The locations of the seven sampling stations are illustrated in the attached figure. The seven sampling station identifiers and coordinates are summarized in Table 1. Note that due to action taken in 2014 to prevent tailings/waste rock from migrating downstream in Red Devil Creek, the current surface sampling locations may not be the same as those described in the RI report (November 2014). No stream sediment samples will be collected. Northing and easting are Alaska State Plane coordinates.

Table 2 Baseline Surface Water Monitoring Locations Based Scope of Work

Laboratory Analysis The parameters demonstrated as most significant contributors to overall risk at RDM are the primary focus of baseline monitoring. . The number of samples to be sent off site for laboratory analyses and analytical methods to be applied to those samples are summarized in Table 3.

Table 3 Surface Water and Groundwater Analytical Summary Base Scope of Work

Dissolved Low-Level Mercury

C.3. Task 3 – Documentation The contractor shall submit four deliverables to the BLM as part of this scope of work:

1. A project schedule

2. Draft and Final Baseline Monitoring Work Plan covering both sampling events during the base year

3. A Data Summary Report for the spring 2021 sampling event

4. Draft and Final Annual Data Summary Reportsummarizing results for both sampling events during the bases year.

Draft versions of the Baseline Monitoring Work Plan and the Annual Data Summary Report shall be submitted to BLM in PDF for review and comment. The draft text shall also be submitted in Word. The BLM will provide comments in the draft Word file using track changes. Once BLM comments have been resolved and incorporated, a revised draft PDF document shall be distributed to the following agencies for review and comment:

· Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

· Alaska Department of Natural Resources The contractor shall develop formal responses to agency comments in coordination with the BLM. The contractor project manager shall participate in one conference call with the BLM and a separate conference call with the BLM and the regulatory agencies listed above to resolve comments and define final responses. The contractor shall incorporate all changes resulting from the resolved agency comments into a final version of each document. A table with comments and final responses shall be submitted along with the final document.

The contractor shall submit 6 hard copy of the final work plan, final data summary, and the final annual report. The draft plan and draft reports should be submitted as electronic files. All final reports (both electronic and hard copy) shall include an electronic submittal of all information received from the analytical laboratory and complete versions of all quality assurance review reports.

C.3.1 Project Schedule The project schedule will specify beginning and end of the period of performance, the projected beginning and end dates for each sampling event, and all submittal milestones. The project schedule shall be submitted to BLM as a PDF Gant Chart within 4 weeks of receiving authorization to proceed. The gant chart should include a table listing milestone dates.

C.3. 2 Baseline Monitoring Work Plan Baseline monitoring methods and procedures generally follow those developed for the RI. The most recent update is the in Final Work Plan, Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring, Red Devil Mine Alaska (June, 2019) which is included in the project administrative record (see link under Introduction). The contractor shall develop a work plan for 2021 by modifying the 2019 plan to fit the requirements described in this scope of work.

C.3.3 Data Summary Report The spring 2021 monitoring results shall be submitted to the BLM in a letter report. The letter report shall consist of:

· A brief narrative of activities completed during the sampling event, including discussion of any deviations from methods and procedures in the work plan

· Tables of depth to static water data with associated elevations and Red Devil Creek discharge data collected in spring 2021

· Tables of analytical data for groundwater and surface water samples organized by parameter and sampling location.

· A potentiometric surface map showing the depth to static water elevation for each well and interpolated water table contours using data collected in spring 2021 The analytical data summarized in the letter report shall have been subjected to a quality assurance review and flagged as appropriate. Copies of all field notes and a summary of the quality assurance review of analytical data shall be included in the letter report. A PDF of the analytical data package provided by the laboratory shall be made available to the BLM upon request.

C.3.4 Annual Summary Report An annual data report summarizing monitoring results for both 2021 sampling events shall be submitted to BLM and regulatory agencies for review and comment. The format and content of the 2021 annual data report shall be similar to the 2019 final baseline monitoring report. Discussion shall summarize data trends observed in 2021 data and how they relate to historical data. The report shall also discuss unexpected site conditions that could impact monitoring results and recommendations for future baseline monitoring. A PDF of the analytical data packages provided by the laboratory for both 2021 sampling events shall be submitted with the final report.

C.3.5 Submittal Format All final tables and graphs of analytical data shall be submitted in Excel 2010 format, and all maps shall be submitted as shape files in ESRI compatible electronic format. An electronic copy of the draft and final deliverables shall be provided in a Portable Document Format (PDF) generated using Adobe Acrobat version 10 or later. The text for all draft deliverables shall be submitted and in Word format. With the exception of the analytical laboratory submittal and full quality assurance review reports, the PDF formatted draft and final versions shall all comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities to assure accessibility by the visually impaired using assistive technology such as screen readers and refreshable Braille displays. Guidance on Section 508 compliance is available at http://www.section508.gov/. No submittal shall be considered “508 compliant” until it has been reviewed and approved by the BLM. It is recommended, but not required, that the contractor use the following checklist for making submittals “508 compliant”:

1. Document file name does not contain spaces or special characters.

2. Document file name should be concise, generally be limited to 20-30 characters, but make the content of the file clear in the context in which it is presented.

3. Document properties for Title, Author, Keywords, and Language are properly filled out.

4. If the edit function of Adobe Acrobat was used, all Comment and Markup items must be deleted.

5. A visual check has been done to ensure no hidden data from MSWord or other applications used to create the original document are present.

6. All images and/or non-text elements have alternative text descriptions (see Note 4 below).

7. All charts and graphs have an alternative text description and provide a description in the text immediately below the chart/graph.

8. Files of 10 pages or more have internal bookmarks.

9. Color is not used to convey important information, e.g., "See red text below."

10. Data tables identify row and column headers.

11. Layout tables do not identify row and column headers

12. Data cells in tables are associated with row and column headers.

13. All tables read from left to right and top to bottom.

14. All hyperlinks use the full Web address, e.g., http://www.blm.gov/ (not simply www.blm.gov).

15. Pages with multi-column text, tables, or call-out boxes have been checked for reading order using the Acrobat Professional "Read Aloud‟ function.

16. All needed accessibility tags have been added and a full Accessibility Report has been run in Adobe Acrobat Professional 10* or higher showing no errors present.

17. A separate text-only version has been provided when there is no other way to make the content accessible. (Example: An organizational chart must have a text- only version).

Checklist Notes:

1. If content will be available as html or text, it is not required that the accompanying PDF file be Section 508 accessible.

2. A PDF created by scanning a paper document in TIFF or another image format is not 508 compliant. Either a text-only version must be provided or, for complicated figures and maps, "Map Title Description. If you need help in using the data or information, the ALT tag must have title and description and a point of contact person as defined in the following: here, please contact the Alaska State Office Public Information Center at 907-271-5960. Adobe provides Accessibility best practices at: http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/best_practices.html#acrobatx

3. PDF forms require a specialized accessibility review because they present an additional degree of complexity.

4. If a graphic is purely decorative or included for spacing purposes (such as a 1 pixel gif spacer), an ALT tag is not required. If the graphic is not referenced at a specific point in the text, it’s best to include it in the reading order at a convenient point, for instance, at the end of a paragraph.

Additional guidance on DOI policy for complying with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/web/policies/checklistpdf.html. Please contact the Alaska State Office Public Information Center at 907-271-5960 with questions. Adobe provides Accessibility best practices at: http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/best_practices.html#acrobatx

3. PDF forms require a specialized accessibility review because they present an additional degree of complexity.

4. If a graphic is purely decorative or included for spacing purposes (such as a 1 pixel gif spacer), an ALT tag is not required. If the graphic is not referenced at a specific point in the text, it’s best to include it in the reading order at a convenient point, for instance, at the end of a paragraph.

Additional guidance on DOI policy for complying with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/web/policies/checklistpdf.html.

D. Optional Scope of Work The optional scope of work is identical to the base scope of work, without bladder pump purchase and installation. The optional scope of work applies to sampling events in spring and fall 2022. The optional scope of work shall be exercised at the discretion of the contracting officer subject to availability of funding.

D.1 Task 1 –Planning Planning requirements for the optional scope of work are identical to those described in Section C.1 with the exception of items 5 and 6 involving the purchase and installation of bladder pumps.

D.2. Task 2 – Field Data Collection Field data collection will be performed in two different sampling events during 2022; one in late May-early June and one in September. All other requirements are identical to those described in the first three paragraphs of Section C.2 except for items 2-4 involving installing and moving bladder pumps.

Groundwater Monitoring Groundwater monitoring shall be performed at the 28 monitoring wells highlighted in yellow in Table 4. The depth to static water level will be measured in all the wells listed in Table 4 at least once during each sampling event, within a 24- hour period.

Table 4 Groundwater Monitoring Well Summary Optional Scope of Work

Notes:

1. Groundwater samples shall be collected from monitoring wells highlighted in yellow

2. Northing and easing are Alaska State Plane coordinates

Surface water monitoring in Red Devil Creek Surface water monitoring shall be performed to evaluate discharge rate and surface water quality at seven locations along the stream section that flows through the main mine area (see attached figure). The five sampling station identifiers and coordinates are summarized in Table 5. Note that due to action taken in 2014 to prevent tailings/waste rock from migrating downstream in Red Devil Creek, the current surface sampling locations may not be the same as those described in the RI report (November 2014). No stream sediment samples will be collected. Northing and easing are Alaska State Plane coordinates.

Table 5 Baseline Surface Water Monitoring Locations

Laboratory Analysis The parameters demonstrated as most significant contributors to overall risk at RDM are the primary focus of baseline monitoring. The number of samples to be sent off site for laboratory analyses and analytical methods to be applied to those samples are summarized in Table 6.

Table 6 Surface Water and Groundwater Analytical Summary Base Scope of Work

Mercury

E. Period of Performance The BLM anticipates that the contractor shall receive authorization to proceed in the second quarter of FY21. The intent is to provide the contractor with sufficient time to develop a final work plan and complete all logistical planning in time to begin field data collection in mid-late May, depending on timing of spring breakup. It is anticipated that all work will be accomplished for the optional scope of work by March 1, 2023.

F. Cost Proposal The contractor shall provide a technical proposal describing appropriate technical capability, past project experience and capacity to perform the work. The technical capability summary shall include:

· A list of equipment and material required to accomplish the scope of work

· Project resumes for key personnel that defines their role on the project and highlights the education, training and pertinent experience that qualifies them for that role

· At least three examples of company experience demonstrating successful execution of a monitoring effort of similar magnitude at a remote location. At a minimum, the project manager and field team leader should be able to show that they have played a similar role on at least one of the three project examples.

All subcontractors shall be listed in the technical proposal along with a description of the role they will play on the project. A summary shall be provided for each subcontractor that clearly defines the capability that qualifies them to fulfill their assigned role.

The cost proposal shall include a line item breakdown of cost for all labor, expenses, material and services to be used in meeting the requirements described in Section C. The line item estimate shall include unit costs, number of units and total cost for each line and a total cost to complete the base scope of work. Assumptions made in estimating project costs shall be included in the cost proposal.

The cost proposal shall include a cost estimate for the optional scope of work described in Section D. The line item estimate shall include unit costs, number of units and total cost for each line and a total cost to complete the base scope of work. Assumptions made in estimating project costs shall be included in the cost proposal. Award of the optional task is subject to available funding and will not be concurrent with the base scope of work.

G. Government Supplied Equipment The government shall provide no equipment needed to execute this scope of work. All monitoring wells are locked and can be accessed using a common key, which will be provided to the contractor prior to mobilizing to the site for the first sampling event.

H. BLM Points-of-Contact:

Points of contact for the contract are:

The BLM Project Manager is Mike McCrum, mmccrum@blm.gov, 907-271-4426.

The Contracting Officer is Patrick Euler.

A number of monitoring well ID’s also include the boring ID (i.e. SM83/MW55). The boring ID is not relevant to this scope of work.

The mine site can be accessed directly from the Kuskokwim River. The site can also be accessed by ATV or on foot from the Village of Red Devil All monitoring wells are accessible by ATV or on foot.

Surface projection of the underground mine workings

Well Construction and Groundwater Depth Information

Monitoring Well ID Reported Well Total Depth As Constructed (feet bgs) Reported Screened Interval (feet bgs) Surveyed Ground Elevation (feet NAVD88) Surveyed Top of Casing Elevation (feet NAVD88)

Elevation (feet NAVD88)

DTW measured only once. No sand in inner casing observed May 2017.

Notes Elevation datum: NAVD88 calculated using GEOID09. Top of casing (TOC) refers to the top of PVC inner casing.

Key

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