The Rising Star and Bully Hill mines are part of the East Shasta Mining District located along the shoreline of Shasta Lake. In 2002, VESTRA developed a five-year work plan to address acid rock drainage (ARD) from numerous portals and waste rock dumps associated with the mines. The objective of the proposed activities was to eliminate 99 percent of the ARD originating from point sources and implement best management practices to address nonpoint sources.

Characterization activities began with development of an extensive surfacewater and groundwater monitoring program to prioritize remediation activities in 2002. In 2003, extensive grading and excavation activities were initiated to establish work areas for future construction activities and expose several buried portals. Activities also included obtaining permits from the US Forest Service, California Department of Fish and Game, CalOSHA Mining and Tunneling Unit, and Shasta County. In 2004, 200 feet of mine tunnel were rehabilitated, 200 feet of new tunnel were constructed, and two bulkhead seals were installed to reduce metal loading and seepage from the main Rising Star Mine. These bulkheads successfully flooded about 100 vertical feet of mine working, leading to a 60 percent reduction in metal loading from the mine site.

In 2005, VESTRA initiated work to address nonpoint source discharge from nine waste rock dumps located throughout the watershed. VESTRA's engineering and geotechnical team designed a waste rock containment facility to accommodate the waste rock. Waste rock was excavated from steep canyon walls and hauled to a primary waste rock unit below the main portal. Final cell construction incorporated a 60 mil textured HDPE liner, geocomposite drainage layer, geogrid layer, vegetation layer, portal access structure, bypass structures, and significant erosion control measures. The borrow material used for the vegetative layer was excavated to leave a shallow ¾-quarter acre pond that could be developed into a sulfate reducing bacteria treatment cell in the future.

In 2007, a pilot treatment cell was constructed to evaluate alternatives for addressing residual seepage from the mine workings. A full-scale system will be developed in conjunction with the ongoing remedial activities being conducted at the nearby Bully Hill Mine.