Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
California Gulch
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
7/14/1989
Final Date
11/21/1989
|
Site Type: Active NPL City: Leadville Count: Lake Street Address: S. of CY-YAK Tunnel Downstream Zip Code: 80461 EPA ID#: COD980717938 Site ID#: 0801478 Site Aliases: Mestas Well Congressional District: 5th |
Site Status & Updates
Documents posted June 9, 2009: OU 6 Fact Sheet and a June 24th meeting regarding formation of a Community Advisory Group. Both are posted in the Site Documents section.
Changes are coming to the Lake County Community Health Program: "Kids First"
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (the "CDPHE"), the Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA"), and Lake County are modifying the Lake County Community Health Program, also known as Kids First. This program was the remedy selected by EPA to address lead in residential soils as part of the California Gulch Superfund Site. The modification is possible because performance standards were met in 2006.
We have developed a work plan that describes the modified program, called the Lake County Community Health Program Phase 2. The program is designed to help families keep their children from having high blood lead levels. We would like the community to provide us with comments on the work plan. We have also developed a fact sheet describing the modified program, available in English and Spanish.
Comments received from the public -- at the open meeting in Longyear Auditorium on Wednesday, April 22nd and by mail and fax during the comment period, April 2nd - May 11th -- are being reviewed. A compilation of the recommendations and opinions will be published here.
If you have questions please call Jennifer Lane, EPA Community Involvement, 1-800-227-8917, extension 312-6813 (toll-free). If you wish to request a Spanish translator, please call Karen Edson, 1-800-227-8917, extension 312-6136 (toll-free).
LCCHP Phase 2 Fact Sheet (English Version) (PDF, 3 pp, 246K)
LCCHP Phase 2 Fact Sheet (Spanish Version) (PDF)
LCCHP Work Plan (PDF, 79 pp, 398K
Other LCCHP Phase 2 documents are available in the Site Documents section
Public comment is being sought regarding the Proposed Plan for addressing environmental contamination of site-wide surface and groundwater in Operable Unit 12 (the "OU") of the California Gulch Superfund Site (the "Site"). The comment period is May 7, 2009 to June 5, 2009.
Detailed information is available via the links below.
The first link -- Fact Sheet (PDF, 2 pp, 154 KB) -- briefly describes the preferred alternative and why it was selected and also explains how to comment on the Proposed Plan.
The second link -- Proposed Plan (PDF, 22 pp, 676 KB) -- is for the Proposed Plan, including detailed information on all of the alternatives considered.
Fact Sheet (PDF, 2 pp, 154 KB)
Proposed Plan (PDF, 22 pp, 676 KB)
| OU 1: | The Yak Tunnel |
| Lead: | Resurrection-Asarco Joint Venture |
| Status: | Ongoing water treatment |
Starting in 1992, the Res-Asarco Joint Venture --under a Unilateral Administrative Order (the "UAO") -- designed, built and operated a water treatment system to reduce the contaminants flowing from the Yak Tunnel. Water quality in the Arkansas River has improved since the treatment plant was built.
| OU 2: | Malta Gulch |
| Lead: | EPA |
| Status: | Deleted |
| OU 3: | Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Slag Piles, Railroad Easement, Railroad Yard, and Mineral Belt Trail |
| Lead: | Union Pacific |
| Status: | Institutional controls under development |
This OU encompasses several different slag piles and historic rail yards with high lead levels, including the Harrison Avenue slag pile and a portion of the Mineral Belt Trail. Slag is a by-product of smelting operations that has a high concentration of heavy metals. Union Pacific removed and consolidated the Harrison Street slag pile into the Arkansas Valley slag pile. Based on current land use, EPA determined that slag does not pose elevated health risks. Lake County adopted amendments to the Lake County Land Development Code in February 2009 that provide institutional controls -- land use guidelines -- for this OU. This OU is ready for deletion.
| OU 4: | Upper California Gulch |
| Lead: | Resurrection Mining Co. |
| Status: | Ready for deletion |
This watershed is located above the Yak Tunnel. Resurrection Mining Company has constructed water diversion channels and settling ponds to prevent heavy metals from flowing into surface water. Institutional controls will be needed before this OU can be deleted. EPA is determining whether one of the waste piles in this OU, the Garibaldi, will need to be consolidated and capped.
| OU 5: | Asarco Smelter/Colorado Zinc-Lead Mill Site |
| Lead: | Asarco, Inc. |
| Status: | Remedial Action Underway |
This OU addresses contaminants associated with five historic smelters and one mill. Smelter waste and waste rock, and tailings from the milling process, are being consolidated and capped with a soil cover on-Site.
| OU 6: | Strayhorse Gulch |
| Lead: | EPA |
| Status: | Remedial Action and Remedial Design |
A Record of Decision (the "ROD") was signed in 2003 and water management projects were completed during the summer of 2004. This involved removing the Ponsardine waste rock pile and rebuilding the Robert Emmet crib wall. EPA is in the design process for additional work activities that will address long-term water quality in Strayhorse Gulch. EPA is examining whether to amend this remedy to consolidate and cap additional waste rock piles; this would reduce significantly the water collection on and around these piles and eliminate the current procedure of placing contaminated surface water known as acid rock drainage into the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Leadville Mine Drainage tunnel.
| OU 7: | Apache Tailings |
| Lead: | Asarco, Inc. |
| Status: | Ready for deletion |
Asarco consolidated and capped this ilings pile in 2002. This OU will be ready for deletion once institutional controls are in place. EPA has assumed lead responsibility for this OU under a settlement with Asarco as a result of the bankruptcy.
| OU 8: | Lower California Gulch |
| Lead: | Resurrection Mining Co. |
| Status: | Ready for deletion |
The OU is located between the Yak Water Treatment Plant and the point where the California Gulch enters the Arkansas River. Resurrection completed work here in 2002 that involved removing tailings and non-residential soils and channel stabilization in the 500-year flood plain. Lake County adopted amendments to the Lake County Land Development Code in February 2009. The amendments will provide institutional controls for this OU that is ready for deletion.
| OU 9: | Residential Area |
| Lead: | Asarco, Inc. |
| Status: | Ongoing |
This OU addresses lead contamination in the residential areas of Leadville and Lake County. In 1995, Asarco launched "Kids First" in 1995, a program to reduce young children's exposure to lead and to provide information about lead to the community. A Record of Decision (ROD) that incorporated Kids First into the remedy was signed in 1999. Performance goals for the remedy were met in 2006. The EPA, Lake County and the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) are working to transition the program to an operation and maintenance program (O&M). This program will also act as the institutional control for this OU. In the summer of 2008, EPA completed soil sampling and remediation where required at 167 residences that responded to a final call under the Kids First program In 2009 EPA expects to complete remediation at about 25 additional residences where lead action levels were exceeded.
| OU 10: | Oregon Gulch |
| Lead: | Resurrection Mining Company |
| Status: | Deleted |
| OU 11: | Arkansas River Floodplain |
| Lead: | EPA, the State of Colorado and the mining companies are working together in a collaborative effort |
| Status: | Remedial Design |
EPA signed a Record of Decision in 2005. In 2008, remedial design was completed. The remedial action for this OU will commence in 2009.
| OU 12: | Site-Wide Surface and Groundwater Quality |
| Lead: | EPA |
| Status: | Ongoing |
EPA and the state of Colorado are sampling and evaluating water quality and aquatic life in the Arkansas River to determine if conditions are returning to healthy levels. Fish and aquatic insect populations have substantially increased since remedial actions have been completed in the other OUs at the Site. A Remedial Investigation and a Focused Feasibility study were completed in 2007. EPA has publilshed to publish a proposed plan for review and comment. The public comment period is open from May 7, 2009 to June 5, 2009 and a public meeting is scheduled for May 20, 2009. The links for the fact sheet and the Proposed Plan are located on this webSite.
| Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Emergency Response | |
| Lead: | EPA |
| Status: | Nearly complete |
Collapses in the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel caused water to back up. Lake County declared an emergency over the potential for a sudden release of contaminated water from the tunnel blockages into the Arkansas River. In response, EPA drilled a relief well into the tunnel, installed a pump and constructed nearly a mile of pipeline to transport water from the tunnel to the water treatment plant managed by the Bureau of Reclamation. Construction began in February 2008 and water started flowing from the tunnel in June 2008. Revegetation of the pipeline route was completed in September 2008. Final electronic operations equipment was installed in early 2009. The revegetation effectiveness will be evaluated and redone, as needed, in the spring and summer of 2009.
Site Description
The National Priorities List Site consists of about 18 square miles in Lake County, Colorado, and includes Leadville, the highest incorporated town in the United States. Mining, mineral processing and smelting activities in the area have produced gold, silver lead and zinc for more than 130 years. Mining in the Leadville area began in 1859 when prospectors working in the channels of the Arkansas River tributaries discovered gold at the mouth of California Gulch. Wastes generated during the mining and ore processing activities contain metals such as arsenic and lead at levels posing a threat to human health and the environment. These wastes remain on the land surface and migrate through the environment by washing into streams and leaching contaminants into surface water and groundwater.
The Site was added to the National Priorities List in 1983 and in 1994 was divided into 12 geographically-based areas, each identified as an Operable Unit (the "OU"). Investigation of the Site began in the mid-1980s.
Site Risk
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Soil , sediment, surface water, groundwater, liquid waste, solid waste, sludge |
Lead, arsenic and other metals; acid mine drainage | Mining, milling and smelting operations |
Cleanup Progress
The Yak Tunnel, one of two tunnels that drain the historic mining district, was a primary focus of studies and cleanup activities between 1989 and 1994. Prior to construction of the Yak Water Treatment Plant, the tunnel discharged about 210 tons of metals each year into California Gulch, which drains into the Arkansas River.
Since 1995, EPA and the potentially responsible parties have conducted removal and remedial activities to consolidate, contain and control more than 350,000 yards of contaminated soils, sediments and mine-processing wastes. Cleanups by the potentially responsible parties are focusing on:
- Drainage controls to prevent acid mine runoff;
- Consolidation and capping of mine piles;
- Cleanup of residential properties; and
- Reuse of slag.
Community Involvement
Throughout the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (the "RI/FS") process, the EPA has maintained contact with members of the community and has implemented various community relations activities. These activities have ranged from one-on-one meetings and open houses to newspaper articles, fact sheet distributions, and meetings with local officials. EPA holds public meetings and public comment periods at every decision point along the Superfund process. For more information about this process, contact Jennifer Lane, EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, at 1-800-227-8917, ext. 6813.
An Information Repository containing the Administrative Record and other information about the Site is available in Leadville at the Lake County Public Library, 1115 Harrison Avenue, and at the Learning Resource Center of the Colorado Mountain College.
Site Documents
You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page.
See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
The two most recent documents below are located in the publicly accessible Cal Gulch ftp site:
Understanding Proposed Surface Water Remedy Changes at Stray Horse Gulch (Operable Unit 6)
June 24th Meeting Scheduled Regarding Formation of Superfund Site Community Advisory Group
Other documents:
Site-Wide Surface and Ground Water Proposed Plan: Fact Sheet (PDF, 2 pp, 154 KB)
Site-Wide Surface and Ground Water Proposed Plan (PDF, 22 pp, 676 KB)
Draft Relief Well Restoration Plan for California Gulch (PDF, 3 pp, 41K)
Five-Year Review Annual Update, December 2008 (PDF, 5 pp, 52K)
2007 Five-Year Review Report, September 2007 (PDF, 131 pp, 1.7 MB)
March 17, 2004, OU 4, Fluvial Tailing Site 4 / Oro City Explanation of Significant Differences (PDF, 400K)
September 2005 OU 11 Record of Decision (PDF, 117 pages, 4.1 MB)
More Records of Decision (ROD)
Notices of Partial Deletion from the NPL
OU 2 07-23-2001
OU 10 04-16-2001
Contacts
>
|
EPA
Linda Kiefer Mike Holmes Jennifer Lane |
Colorado
Warren Smith |
|
View Documents at:
Lake County Library Colorado Mountain College Library |