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Find out more about John: John is a Denver native, who graduated from Metropolitan State College and attended the University of Montana Graduate School of Business. He works for the city of Denver, Department of Public Works, Wastewater Management Division. John is an avid hiker, backpacker and -- in the days before a knee replacement and hip replacement -- climber of 14ers. He created his website, Coyote Gulch, to track water issues, in 2002. |
The Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel has pretty much dropped out of the news recently. You may remember the national news focusing on a blowout that would pollute the Upper Arkansas, possibly cause flooding as far downstream as Cañon City and the imminent loss of life in the trailer park unfortunately located near the mouth of the tunnel.
So what is the current status of the work and plans to mitigate the disaster?
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5511, the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Remediation Act of 2008. This is the bill introduced by U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn and U.S. Representative Mark Udall. The bill basically implements the plan preferred by the Environmental Protection Agency. The plan would erect a bulkhead isolating the lower part of the tunnel then rely on pumping the Leadville mine pool to Reclamation's treatment plant at the mouth of the LDMT. The EPA is responsible for cleaning up the California Gulch Superfund Site. This plan should help lower the mine pool and, they hope, help with seepage in the gulch which in some cases may be reaching the Arkansas River. Here's the meat of the bill:
The Secretary shall participate in the implementation of the operable unit 6 remedy for the California Gulch Superfund Site, as such remedy is defined in the Environmental Protection Agency's 2003 Record of Decision for such operable unit, by--
(A) treating water behind any blockage or bulkhead in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, including surface water diverted into the Tunnel workings as part of the remedy; and (B) managing and maintaining the mine pool behind such blockage or bulkhead at a level that precludes surface runoff and releases and minimizes the potential for tunnel failure due to excessive water pressure in the tunnel.The Secretary shall take such steps to repair or maintain the structural integrity of the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel (LMDT) as may be necessary in order to prevent tunnel failure and to preclude uncontrolled release of water from any portion of the tunnel.
Reclamation is opposed to taking on the liability for the cleanup, as is the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. My reading is that the bill directs Reclamation to treat the water pumped from the LDMT, construct the bulkhead, drill any new wells that are required and pay for the treatment and pumping. However I'm assuming a lot that just isn't addressed. Pumping the water out of the mine pool should reduce the pressure behind the blockage. It appears that the EPA will still own the superfund site and all the attendant problems.
Reclamation is doing a risk assessment for the LDMT. According to spokesperson, Peter Soeth, they are on track to complete it by June 30th. They've maintained all along that the EPA's letter last fall -- warning of the imminent danger and blowout at the tunnel -- was alarmist. The Lake County Commissioners acted on the EPA's letter by declaring a local disaster. That certainly got them a lot of attention, not all of it good for Leadville and the area (Leadville's liability insurance cancelled, cancelled bookings and other impacts to tourism).
Reclamation is accepting water now from the new EPA pipeline -- that runs from the enlarged monitoring well just upstream of one blockage in the tunnel -- for short term relief.
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