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Bull Run Mine Tailings Restoration

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Proposal
Planning/Design
Implementation
Post-Implementation
Completed
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Contents

Project Overview

Basics

Restoration of Aquatic Native Fish Habitat
Bull Run Mine Tailings Restoration

Completed
This project will take place on Bull Run Creek in the headwaters of the North Fork John Day River near Granite, OR. The project is a cooperative effort between the North Fork John Day Watershed Council, The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Whitman Ranger District of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The project will involve the excavation and removal of mine tailings on 9.8 acres of floodplain on Bull Run Creek as well as side channel excavation, placement of large woody debris, and planting of riparian woody species.

2022
2023
2024
2/19/2025

Project Attributes

Additional Project Attributes

FIP Status
None
Restoration Actions
10. Floodplain Construction, 11. Perennial Side Channel, 2. Channel Reconstruction, 28. LWD Placement, 9. Restoration of Floodplain Topography and Vegetation

For Land Acquisition and Easement Projects

Project Type
None

Location

To zoom, hold down Shift and drag a rectangle.

  • North Fork Headwaters Focus Area

  • Headwaters NFJDR / Granite / Desolation / Upper Camas / Big Cr NFJDR

Organizations

Fiscal Sponsor
  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Funders
  • Bonneville Power Administration
  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
  • Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
  • U.S. Forest Service
Lead Implementer
  • Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Partners
  • Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
  • U.S. Forest Service - Wallowa-Whitman

Contacts

Javan Bailey - North Fork John Day Watershed Council (NFJDW) (javan@nfjdwc.org)

Metrics

Expected Metrics

Number of plantings 3,000
Number of structures installed Anchored: Unanchored Location: Instream Type of Structure: LWD 150
Stream miles treated Treatment Type: instream restoration 2 linear stream miles
Stream miles treated Treatment Type: off/side channel habitat created 2 linear stream miles
Stream miles treated Treatment Type: riparian planting 2 linear stream miles

Reported Metrics

Number of plantings
Total 2024 2023 Units
3,000 0 3,000 number
Total 3,000 0 3,000 number

Number of structures installed
Anchored Location Type of Structure Total 2024 2023 Units
Unanchored Instream LWD 243 0 243 number
Total 243 0 243 number

Stream miles treated
Treatment Type Total 2024 2023 Units
instream restoration 2 0 2 linear stream miles
riparian planting 2 N/A 2 linear stream miles
off/side channel habitat created 2 N/A 2 linear stream miles
Total 6 0 6 linear stream miles

Financials

Budget

$1,258,368.20
$1,258,368.20
$0.00
$0.00
Total
America the Beautiful Challenge (NFWF) $509,260.20 $0.00 $509,260.20
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) $345,130.00 $0.00 $345,130.00
FIP - Restoration (OWEB) $213,238.00 $0.00 $213,238.00
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) $190,740.00 $0.00 $190,740.00
Total $1,258,368.20 $0.00 $1,258,368.20
Comment: None provided

Reported Expenditures

2022 2023 2024 Total
America the Beautiful Challenge (NFWF) $0.00 $509,260.20 $0.00 $509,260.20
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) $0.00 $345,130.00 $0.00 $345,130.00
FIP - Restoration (OWEB) $0.00 $178,852.00 $34,386.00 $213,238.00
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) $0.00 $190,740.00 $0.00 $190,740.00
Grand Total $0.00 $1,223,982.20 $34,386.00 $1,258,368.20

Note: None provided

Focal Species

Focal Species

Steelhead use this reach for spawning and rearing. This project will create habitat, improve habitat conditions and will improve water quality, flow regimes, and water residence times by restoring channel morphology, floodplain connectivity, and side channels.
Chinook use this reach for spawning and rearing. This project will create habitat, improve habitat conditions and will improve water quality, flow regimes, and water residence times by restoring channel morphology, floodplain connectivity, and side channels.

Implementation and Ecological Results

Implementation and Ecological Results

This project will restore the floodplain by removing mine tailings and amending remaining soil to restore natural conditions and connectivity. currently, the level of the floodplain is approximately 10 feet above the stream channel due to mine tailings. The project will involve removal of these mine tailings as well as excavation of new side channels and placement of LWD all of which should serve to improve floodplain connectivity.
Placement of large woody debris, excavation of side channels, and remeandering of the stream will all serve to increase habitat quantity as well as complexity improving habitat availability for native fish species.

Working Groups

Working Groups

LJDWG - Critical Issues

LJDWG - Critical Issues

Project Details

Attachments

FIP Interest Form for Bull Run
Uploaded On
9/15/2022
File Type
PDF
Description
Bull Run Plan Set
Uploaded On
9/15/2022
File Type
PDF
Description
Included to contextualize "Sub area" references in budget

No attachments

Bull Run Mine Tailings Restoration Budget
Uploaded On
9/14/2022
File Type
PDF
Description
Bull Run Overview Map
Uploaded On
9/14/2022
File Type
PDF
Description

Notes

No Notes entered.

External Links

No External Links entered.

Photos

Photos

  •  

    Mine tailings on Bull Run floodplain
(Timing: Before) (~5,082 KB)
Credit: Alex Rice

    Mine tailings on Bull Run floodplain
    (Timing: Before) (~5,082 KB)
  •  

    Mine tailings on Bull Run floodplain
(Timing: Before) (~5,339 KB)
Credit: Alex Rice

    Mine tailings on Bull Run floodplain
    (Timing: Before) (~5,339 KB)
  •  

    Mine tailings on Bull Run floodplain
(Timing: Before) (~7,572 KB)
Credit: Alex Rice

    Mine tailings on Bull Run floodplain
    (Timing: Before) (~7,572 KB)
  •  

    reach 3
(Timing: During) (~9,828 KB)
Credit: Zach Robinson

    reach 3
    (Timing: During) (~9,828 KB)
  •  

    Reach 4
(Timing: During) (~11,641 KB)
Credit: Zach Robinson

    Reach 4
    (Timing: During) (~11,641 KB)

Home page photo by Bob Wick, BLM, shared under the Creative Commons 2.0 license.

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Copyright (C) 2026 Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and ESA | Code last updated (compiled) at 2026-03-25 17:34:11.