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Emancipation Mine

 
Site Contact:
Martin McComb
OSC

(mccomb.martin@epa.gov)

Site Location:
Salina, CO 80202
 response.epa.gov/Emancipation

The Site is a residential property along Fourmile Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The property contains, at best estimate, 30,000-40,000 cubic yards of re-processed mill tailings that were deposited in the floodplain sometime prior to 1950.

In September 2013, an extreme flash flood changed the course of the creek and the creek is now undercutting the deposit, resulting in erosion and mass slumping of mill tailings into the creek.


Cut bank along creek Cut bank along creek Cut bank along creek Cut bank along creek Cut bank along creek Cut bank Cut bank along creek Cut bank along creek Cut bank along creek re-channeled creek drainage Initial screening cut bank Initial screening of cut bank vertical extent of waste pile from stream bed vantage point Seep from Emancipation Mine entering stream Demarcation of native soil and mine waste Removal assessment sampling zone 2 Overview of stream bed in removal assessment sampling zone 1 Cut bank overview in removal assessment sampling zone 1 Stockpile; loading area for trucks View on top of tailings-trees removed View on top of tailings-tree removed Stockpile area; redirected creek Stockpile area; redirected creek mulch pile from removed trees Dust suppression of tailings during excavation. ERRS performing dust suppression during removal activities Aerial view of site. Tailings waste being excavated for disposal. Truck pulling tarp over tailings load before transport begins. Test pit in tailings pile. Loading tailings for transport to the landfill. START sampling surface water upstream of tailings Excavation at Emancipation Mine Tailings Pile. Looking west from eastern edge. START performing post-removal confirmation sampling historic fence uncovered during excavation Wall located on eastern edge of tailings pile. Made out of an old table used in the milling process. ERRS excavator performing removal activities Excavated area Post excavation area Post excavation area Post excavation area Post excavation area excavation boundary wall excavated area Post excavation facing west Post excavation area, prior to backfill START collecting geospatial data in post excavation area START collecting residential water sample Exterior spigot sampling location Site overview, facing south Site overview, facing east Site overview, facing west Realigned stream bed lined with rock rock placed along road bank ERRS operator placing rock rock placed around culvert graded post removal zones graded fill material post excavation zone graded fill material in post removal zone graded fill material in excavated areas graded fill material, post-removal realigned stream graded excavation area upstream of excavation area realigned stream ERRS grading excavated area stream realignment Post-removal area ERRS excavator placing rock in post-removal area Post-removal area and stream realignment ERRS excavator moving rock in post-removal zone post removal zone, composted and seeded (EMCF02_040715 sampling location) post removal zone, composted and seeded (EMCF03_040715 sampling location) Pre-removal photo 1, facing east Post-removal photo 1, facing east Pre-removal photo 2, facing southwest Post-removal photo 2, facing southwest Pre-removal site photo 3, facing east Post-removal site photo 3, facing east
For additional information, visit the Pollution/Situation Report (Pol/Sitreps) section.

A Map is available for viewing GIS information.