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EVALUATION OF THE MRSP PLAN AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 33 SUBPROGRAMS Evaluation of Components Geochemical Backgrounds and Baseline Component The panel concluded that results from the Geochemical Backgrounds and Baselines component of the Mitigation Studies Subprogram will become increasingly important in land use decisions. The Geochemical Backgrounds and Baselines component should be elevated to subprogram status to reflect the national importance of this activity (Figure 2-1). Many other national geological surveys, including the Geological Survey of Canada and the British Geological Survey, place strong emphasis on similar types of programs. Information collected under baseline geochemical studies also has significant applications to public health and ecological issues. Baseline geochemical studies would focus on the specific environmental behavior of mineral resources, but would share many underlying similarities with the highly successful National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program in the Water Resources Division of the USGS. Research from both the NAWQA program and the Geochemical Backgrounds and Baselines component explores the current state of the environment and provides a standard/measure against which future environmental perturbationsâ be they natural or anthropogenicâcan be compared. In addition, MRSP research in this area will aim at distinguishing between anthropogenic and natural environmental impacts. Development of methods to discriminate between natural and anthropogenic geochemical anomalies associated with mineral deposits deserves a high priority as a research activity. The MRSP Plan places an appropriate emphasis on this field, which is the focus of the Mitigation Studies Subprogram element on Discrimination Between Natural and Mining-Related Geochemical Distributions. This subprogram element could support users in determining sources and concentrations of pre-mining geochemical distributions, and for assigning remediation responsibilities after mining has occurred. Determining geochemical backgrounds and baselines must be a multi-disciplinary effort involving geologists, aqueous geochemists, sedimentologists, hydrologists, and aquatic biologists. In the longer view, this suggested new subprogram could have expanded applications,
