2006 Demonstration Project
California Gulch:
Leadville, Colorado
THE SITE: The California Gulch Superfund Site in Lake County,
Colorado, encompasses more than 18 square miles in the Rocky Mountains,
about 120 miles west of Denver. Mining, mineral processing, and smelting
activities there produced gold, silver, lead, copper, manganese, and zinc
for more than 130 continuous years. The site was listed on the National
Priorities List in 1983, primarily because of acid mine drainage from the
Yak Tunnel, mine waste piles, and tailing ponds that contaminated ground
water and caused surface water pollution in the California Gulch area and
the Arkansas River. Nearly all of the mines within the California Gulch
site boundary are presently inactive, and all of the mills and smelters
have been either decommissioned or demolished. Many areas within the
site are still undergoing continuing remedial activities, but some of the
cleaned up portions of the site are already in reuse. The Robert Emmet
Mine section of the site received a Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
cooperative agreement in 2001.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Currently, children registered in the Lake
County Youth Soccer league play their games in a town 35 miles away.
Leadville's adult teams regularly travel 40 miles for games. To alleviate
such commuting, Leadville citizens on the Lake County Recreation
Advisory Board aim to establish a recreational facility for soccer and
other activities. A portion of the site near Leadville's downtown area
could be an ideal location for the recreational facility. The United States
Soccer Foundation, one of EPAs national partners, awarded a $10,000
grant to develop conceptual plans for the future Lake County Community
Park. With the plan completed, the group is seeking additional funding for
construction of the complex.
THE BARRIERS: The portion of the site targeted for the recreational
complex currently contains mining slag. Construction activities will
require grading and capping of the sharp slag material. EPA will coordinate
with stakeholders to ensure that human health and the environment are
protected. Another complication is that the site's long history has made
county officials and community members wary. The stigma associated
with the site creates a powerful deterrent to its reuse.
THE SOLUTION: To help shape a new image and to assure members
of the local community that safe reuse is a realistic possibility, EPA is
helping to facilitate and maintain an open dialogue among the local
Barriers:
Proposed reuse construction
requiring EPA oversight;
Superfund site stigma
Solution:
Construction monitoring by EPA to
ensure protection of human health
and the environment; facilitating
and maintaining an open dialogue
among stakeholders to address
concerns
Before:
Part of an 18-square mile mining
site in a former mining community
in the Rocky Mountains
After:
Proposed recreational complex that
ties into local mining heritage and
historical trail and complements an
ongoing community revitalization
effort
united btates
Environmental Protection
.Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated August 2009
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government, members of the Leadville community, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and regulatory agencies. Regular
communication is helping to eliminate confusion and misconceptions about reusing Superfund sites by ensuring
that the remedy will be safe for children to participate in sports on this portion of the site.
THE SITE NOW: As fundraising and planning for the project progress, the stakeholders will establish a process
to seek the views of the community. A professional survey of the site has recently been completed, and the
local recreation group hopes to kick off a major fundraising campaign in the fall of 2007. Construction of the
recreational facility is expected to begin in the summer of 2008, with potential completion in summer 2009. The
completed facility will include a trail extension to link to the Mineral Belt Trail, a 12.5-mile paved trail that loops
the City of Leadville, passes through historic mining areas, and offers stunning views of the Rocky Mountains.
The Mineral Belt Trail is an important part of the existing reuse at other areas of the site. Local residents hope
that the future complex will be a valued asset and an economic enhancement for the community just as the trail
has been in recent years.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Rebecca Thomas, remedial project manager for the California
Gulch site, at (303) 312-6552 orthomas.rebecca@epa.gov: Frances Costanzi, Region 8 Superfund Redevelopment
Coordinator, at (303) 312-6571 or costanzi .frances@epa.gov. or Jennifer Lane, Community Involvement
Coordinator for the site, at (303) 312-6813 or lane.jennifer@epa.gov.
urmea btates
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated August 2009
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