List of Administrative Record Files
The Site is located 6 miles south of Ouray in Ouray County, Colorado. The Site contains three very large tailings piles that are being actively eroded by three different streams (Sneffels Creek and Imogene Creek enter the Site and combine in the middle of the tailings to form Canyon Creek). All three tailings piles are also susceptible to flood events, increased runoff and failure of the existing slopes.
The two tailings deposits on the south side of Canyon Creek are associated with historic milling activities that date back to the early 1900s. The downstream historic pile is bisected by a side channel / tributary that flows into Canyon Creek. A third modern tailings pile is located on the north side of Canyon Creek and was last used for disposal in the late 1990s. This modern pile is located within an active mining permit boundary administered by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS).
In August 2017, Caldera Mineral Resources purchased the property and signed an Administrative Order on Consent with EPA and the State of Colorado to prevent the erosion the tailings deposits. Work will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 is being conducted as an EPA Time-Critical Removal Action under the direction of a Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC) and will address all efforts in the creeks and in the historic tailings. Phase 2 will be performed under the direction of DRMS through modification of the existing mining permit and will address stabilization of the modern tailings.
EPA Response Objectives (Phase 1):
1. Stabilize the downstream historic tailings pile.
2. Stabilize the upstream historic tailings pile.
3. Stabilize the stream channels.
