Geologic Hazards to Human
Health in the Wind River
Basin, Central Wyoming
Suzanne M. (Suki) Smaglik
Central Wyoming College
Riverton, WY
On the Cutting Edge Workshop: Geology & Human
Health, Chico Hot Springs, Montana, May 2004
INTRODUCTION
Applying for this workshop on Geology & Human Health
inspired me to take a look at my own backyard and
determine how these subjects are related. For
years, I have been including environmental issues
content into chemistry and geology courses.
However, not having any background in ecology or
biology, I tended to focus on land degradation
rather than how these changes affect the life that
is supported by this land. Now I see that these two
topics cannot be separated. There’s plenty to be
done here…
Backwards & Forwards
I have lived in the Wind River Basin (WRB) for only 4
years. I am just beginning to understand the local
geology. The information presented in this poster is
purely anecdotal and I take all responsibility for
mistakes and misunderstandings. It is my intention
to find facts for each of these issues and to use
those facts in my courses. I also hope to encourage
a few students to undertake a research project
doing something that is relevant to them and to their
community.
GEOLOGY
The Wind River Basin (WRB) lies within Fremont
County, the largest county in Wyoming. It is
defined on the west, by Togwotee Pass in the
Absaroka Mountains; in the east, by the Oligocene
sediments of the Beaver Rim and the preCambrian
Granite Mountains; on the south, by the Wind River
Mountains; and on the north, by the Owl Creek
Mountains. The WRB was formed by Laramide
uplift of the Wind River and Owl Creek blocks,
which exposed titled layers of Paleozoic and
Mesozoic sediments at the foothills. The basin is
filled with the colorful Eocene sediments of the
Wind River formation as well as significant
Pleistocene glacial deposits.
HUMAN POPULATION
There are two substantial towns in the Wind River Basin.
Riverton, population 9000, is home to Central Wyoming
College (CWC) and the Brunton Company, and is located
in the center of the basin. Lander, population 7000,
is the county seat and is home to the National Outdoor
Leadership School (NOLS), Wilderness Medicine
Institute (WMI), Sinks Canyon State Park and the
CWC Field Station, and is located in the foothills of
the Wind River Mountains. Other population centers in
the Wind River Basin include Dubois, Hudson, Pavillion,
Shoshoni, Ethete and Fort Washakie. The later two
towns are the cultural centers for the Wind River
Indian Reservation, which serves the tribes of the
Northern Arapahoe and the Eastern Shoshoni.
FOSSIL FUELS - Oil & Gas
The Paleozoic and Mesozoic layers are folded toward the bottom
of the ramp of the northern flank of the Wind River
Mountains, creating a series of elongated domes (anticlines)
running from the southeast corner of the basin three-quarters
of the way to the northwest corner of the basin. The
anticlines may continue farther to the northwest but if so, are
currently buried below the Absaroka Volcanics. These domes
are the source of petroleum, currently residing in the Ten
Sleep Sandstone and Madison Limestone formations. The first
producing oil well in Wyoming is still producing, just north of
Lander. Oil revenues are the main source of income on the
Wind River Reservation. The long-term (~150 yrs) development
of oil and gas along the WRB domes has not created a health
hazard up to this point. The products are removed from the
site for refinement in another location outside the WRB.
FOSSIL FUELS - Coal & CBM
Some of the Mesozoic layers also contain coal, which
was mined for a brief time in the town of Hudson.
Coal bed methane (CBM) production is a fast-growing
industry in Wyoming (specifically in the Powder River
Basin, to the north). There is currently talk of
developing CBM in the Wind River Basin. However,
future development, specifically for CBM, may cause
health hazards for humans, livestock and wildlife if
not done responsibly. CBM wells are often closely
spaced and can devastate the landscape.
FOSSIL FUELS - CBM & Water
There are often large quantities of water brought up
with CBM. Some of it is potable, while some can be
terrifically saline. There is much debate about the
destiny of this water. Most cannot be re-injected
because of EPA regulations. Some is held in ponds
and used for irrigation or livestock. Much is allowed
to flow on the land, to reach the nearest stream or
water table of its own volition. Because of the
alkalinity of most of the soils in the state, even
good water can leach out the salts and ruin the soil
for any further use (much like the result of poor
flood irrigation practices).
COAL & SULFUR
Wyoming coal is some the cleanest-burning coal in the
world, with regard to sulfur emissions. Most
western coal is produced from the Powder River
Basin. There is also coal in the Green River Basin,
just over the mountains to the south, of the WRB.
The Jim Bridger Power Plant uses innovative
technology to mine the coal and transfer it directly
to the onsite power plant. Loose emission controls
have led to some problems with acidic emissions
originating at the plant and traveling over the
‘airshed’ of the Wind River Mountains.
ACID LAKES
Lakes in the WR mountains are becoming acidified and
a culprit is being sought by the Wind River
Environmental Quality Commission (WREQC), an
inter-tribal agency on the reservation. WREQC is
attempting to define ‘airshed’ and watersheds
standards for minimum pollutant levels allowed on the
reservation. Besides the ‘local’ power plant
emissions, there is evidence to suggest the pollutants
from the Salt Lake Valley, and even as far as Los
Angeles are reaching the WRB.
ACID FOG
Natural gas produced in the WRB is high-sulfur gas
and produces many train loads of raw sulfur per
month. Much of it is flamed off the rigs, producing
acidic gases. Most of it is shipped to a processing
plants, to become sulfuric acid or for other
manufacturing needs. Peak Sulfur operates a plant
just south of Riverton, utilizing a plant that was
used to process uranium. Output from this plant
often exceeds regulations and on the rare foggy
nights in the WRB, sulfur and sulfuric acid drift into
a residential Arapahoe neighborhood just across the
highway (and just downwind). This acid-fog creates
several respiratory ailments in these residents.
URANIUM MINING
The sand and gravel deposits on the east side of the
basin and where famous Wyoming geologist, David
Love, developed his theory of “roll-front” deposits.
The uranium source was disseminated in the Granite
Mountains to the east. Weathering broke down the
granite, leaving uranium-rich sandstone deposits.
Water flow concentrated the uranium in the
sandstone debris as it filled the basin. For many
years the Gas Hills Uranium District produced much
of the country’s uranium for energy and “defense.”
Riverton be came more than a supply run for local
ranchers.
URANIUM MILLING
As a result of uranium, Riverton became a viable city
and developed a community college and other
infrastructure. Not only were the mines productive,
but the town also was home to the Susquahanna
uranium processing plant. The open pit mines in the
Gas Hills have been somewhat remediated, and the
processing plant is currently used to process sulfur
(see above).At the former uranium mill site south of
Riverton, there was (is?) groundwater and soil
contamination. Residents have been warned to drink
bottled water, or better yet, to relocate. Most
stubbornly refuse to move because of the tribal
history of the people with their land.
RADON
There appears to be a naturally high radon level in the
gravels along the Wind River and its tributaries.
People who build in this area are warned to have
proper ventilation to avoid health problems
associated with radon (lung cancer in particular).
There are tales of a high source of radon associated
with the warm springs in Ft. Washakie. Whether
this is beneficial or detrimental to human health has
not been determined.
HARD-ROCK MINING - Gold
In the 19th century, gold was found in the preCambrian
meta-volcanic rocks at South Pass, at the
southeastern end of the WRB. The State Park
system runs an interesting town exhibit including
many of the original buildings and stamp mills that
operated in town. The surrounding hills are littered
with shafts and adits that make for dangerous
walking. The state recently purchased the largest
of the mines, the Carrissa, and proposes to turn it
into another part of the park. However, besides the
deteriorated conditions of the mine, there is
abundant poisonous runoff from the mining process
that needs to be dealt with.
HARD-ROCK MINING - Iron
The Atlantic City Iron Mine was opened during the
1960’s and produced ore until it closed in 1983.
Lander grew into a fair sized town during this time
and the economy suffered greatly after it closed.
There is a substantial amount of iron still in the
rocks, but it is no longer economically feasible to
mine it. Most of the waste has been remediated and
much of the land has been subdivided and sold as
cabin sites. The open pit mine has flooded into a
nice alpine lake that attracts water fowl to the
area. The state highway that was diverted through
some treacherous corners to accommodate the mine,
is planned to be moved back through the mine tailing
area in the next few years.
WATER & CLIMATE
One of the major concerns of both humans and wildlife
is the current drought situation. We are currently
beginning the fifth year of drought in the WRB.
Snowfall was about normal this year but was not
enough to make up for the previous years of
dryness. This spring has been unseasonably warm
and portends a disastrous summer and fall. Instream flow in the Wind River and its tributaries has
been an ongoing battle between the ranchers, the
tribes and the state. Current water-right usage
dictates a priority to agricultural purposes.
WATER, continued
After the treaty establishing the Wind River
Reservation occurred, the U.S. Government ‘bought’
back a large swath of land in the northern basin for
homesteading ranchers to settle. Thus, the town of
Riverton and other smaller towns, were established
within the original reservation boundaries. Despite
the fact that the Indians have senior water rights,
because they want to use them for in-stream flow
rather than irrigation, the ranchers are allowed to
usurp their rights. The recent formation of the
Wind River Alliance is a group of Indians and nonIndians fighting to protect the health of the Wind
River, and in turn, the physical and spiritual health
of its people.
LANDFILLS
The towns of Riverton and Lander are currently struggling with
landfill issues. Both of these landfills have less than five years
of use left. Citizens groups and city planners are trying to
come up with a solution. Both towns have developed recycling
programs through a partnership with Community Entry Services
(CES), an agency that works with brain-damaged individuals and
provides jobs and independence training. While recycling is
fairly limited, the Lander Recycling program is more extensive
than elsewhere in the county. The Lander Recycles community
group pushed for glass recycling and was able to contract with
a local service that crushes it and uses the glass for road base
in local construction. The Fremont Country Commission has the
ultimate jurisdiction on landfills. They are refusing to approve
new landfills because of what they think are unfair restrictions
imposed by the WDEQ and the EPA: lining the landfill to
prevent groundwater contamination.
SELENIUM
The uptake of selenium by woody asters and the
consequent increased concentration of selenium in
soils is a problem in much of south central Wyoming.
In the WRB, specifically in the western part near
Dubois, the Big Horn sheep are experiencing birth
defects due to extremely low-levels of selenium.
There are currently studies underway to address this
problem. In the means time salt blocks containing
selenium have been placed alnog the migration routes
in this area. How will this affect human health?
THE BIG ONE …
Of course, one of the dangers that most
people in the WRB worry about is the
‘overdue’ eruption of Yellowstone volcano, and
whether they will live to suffer its
consequences. If we are not immediately
fried or smothered, how are the gasses and
ash clouds going to affect our health? How
long will we be able to live and how will we
live?
…and other natural disasters
Earthquakes are also part of life in the WRB although
they are not as strong or as frequent as those to
the west. Climbers in the Wind River Mountains and
skiers on Togwotee Pass must take precautions from
rock falls and avalanches. Drivers through Wind
River Canyon, in the Owl Creek Mountains, must be
wary of house-sized boulders coming down the cliffs,
especially in the spring.
All in all, not a bad day in Paradise!
Acknowledgements &
References
Lots of words, no pictures, sorry! As I said in the
introduction, this poster is more like a shopping list of
what needs to be investigated rather than research in
progress.
I would like to acknowledge all of the people who have
shared their stories with me and helped determine this
list of threats to human health. I hope that sometime
in the near future, the students at CWC, and citizens of
the WRB will pick up the torch and begin investigating
these problems and considering their solutions.