Eagle Mine (Colorado)
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Eagle Mine Eagle Mine | |
| State | Colorado |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39°31′40″N 106°23′42″W / 39.527769°N 106.394940°WCoordinates: 39°31′40″N 106°23′42″W / 39.527769°N 106.394940°W |
| History | |
| Closed | 1984 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Viacom International |
The Eagle Mine is an abandoned mine owned by Viacom International near the abandoned town of Gilman and about one mile south east of Minturn in the U.S. state of Colorado.[1]
The mining began in the 1880s, initially for gold and silver but predominately zinc during later stages of its operation. The mine closed in 1984 and became an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site.[2]
After the closure of the mine and the abandonment of Gilman, a 235-acre (0.95 km2) area, which included 8 million tons of mine waste, were designated a Superfund site by the EPA and placed on the National Priorities List in 1986. According to the EPA, the mining operations left large amounts of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in the soil, and led to large fish kills in the Eagle River and threatened drinking water in the town of Minturn downstream on the Eagle River. The clean-up plan, implemented beginning in 1988 included plugging and flooding the Eagle Mine, collecting and treating mine and ground water in a new treatment plant, as well as removing, treating and capping the mine waste products. A report by the EPA in 2000 concluded that clean-up operations had substantially reduced public health risks and improved the water quality in the Eagle River. The State of Colorado also has pursued separate parallel efforts at cleanup and has reached agreements with Viacom regarding treatment of the site.
See also
References
- ↑ "Eagle Mine site summary". Colorado Department of Health and Government. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ↑ "Eagle Mine". United States Environmental Protection Agency. April 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
External links
- EPA Report 1998 ROD/R08-98/079 - includes mine history.