Breckenridge, Colorado

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United States Environmental Protection Agency • Region 8 •

April 2007

Claimjumper Removal Action

Question: What is the problem at the Claimjumper area on Airport Road?

Answer: Numerous deposits of waste rock on the surface from historical mining operations now pose
a threat to human health for those who live near and recreate on the waste rock. Lead and arsenic,
which are hazardous substances, are present in many of the piles at concentrations well above accept-
able levels for residential settings.

Question: Why move the mine waste from Claimjumper area to the Wellington-Oro Mine complex on
French Gulch Road?

Answer: The Wellington-Oro Mine complex currently contains a major waste rock deposit (estimated
at more than 100,000 cubic yards), and the waste rock here also contains equivalent elevated levels of
lead and arsenic. The cleanup action involves removing approximately 6,000 to 8,000 cubic yards of
the waste rock from the Claimjumper area and consolidating it with the waste rock located at the Wel-
lington Oro mine complex on Federal, Town and County Land. The area used to consolidate these ma-
terials will be capped with a soil cover and vegetated to eliminate direct contact and prevent erosion of
contaminated soil.

In addition, mine waste-contaminated soil from the Wellington Oro Neighborhood development also
must be contained and capped to be protective. Consolidation of this material at the Wellington Oro
with the existing and Claimjumper material will allow it to be removed from the flood plain and farther
from the homes and future open space areas.

The Wellington Oro mine property includes land that the Town and County are required to manage ac-
cording to the terms of the Consent Decree with the United States. The consent decree is a legally
binding agreement approved in federal court requiring the parties to take specific actions. The local
community was involved in the decision-making process that led to the management of Wellington-
Oro contaminants and the consent decree.

Question: Will this make the conditions at Wellington Oro worse than exist today?

This action will not create a new condition at the Wellington-Oro site. The concentrations of contami-
nation will remain the same as before the cleanup action. Some areas of contamination are subject to
erosion, migration off-site and are easily accessed by the public. They will be capped with clean soil to
reduce erosion and direct contact by the public. The proposed action also will reduce the potential for
leaching of heavy metals into surface and groundwater that now occurs. However, leaching from the
waste rock is not the major source of surface and groundwater contamination from the Wellington Oro
mine. The massive volume of water in the mine workings creates the majority of the metals loading to


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the surface water.

Question: What type of cleanup action does EPA usually do for this type of waste?

Answer: The standard approach to reducing the human exposure lead and arsenic contaminated soil in
residential areas is to remove soils and cap the areas of contamination. Consolidation of mine waste
with similar material and capping is performed at most mine sites by EPA, BLM, FS and the State.

Question: How many trucks will be traveling through the neighborhood and what controls will be pro-
vided?

Answer: The number of trucks per day will depend on how long the working hours are set and the
quantity of material to move. If hauling operations run for eight hours per day an estimated 64 loads of
waste would be hauled each day. Current estimates are that approximately 6,000 cubic yards of waste
rock need to be removed with a potential for as much as 8,000 cubic yards. A range of 600 to 700
truck loads would be required to transport 6000 cubic yards of waste rock. This means approximately
10 days of hauling for 6,000 cubic yards.

Dust controls measures will include covering loads and watering dirt roads on French Gulch as neces-
sary. Trucks will be cleaned of loose dirt as required to prevent tracking. Paved roads will be sprayed
with water to reduce dust from traffic, and a street sweeper will be used on paved roads at the end of
operations.

For further information on the Claimjumper removal action, please contact:

USEPA Region 8:



Steven Way
On-Scene Coordinator
(303) 312-6723
way.steven@epa.gov

Rob Henneke

Community Involvement Coordinator
(303) 312-6734
henneke.rob@epa.gov

White River National Forest:



Olivia Garcia
On-Scene Coordinator
(970) 945-3220
ogarcia@fs.fed.us

Sally Spaulding
Public Affairs Specialist
(970) 945-3206
sallyspaulding@fs.fed.us

Information Repositories:



Summit County Library
504 Airport Road
Breckenridge, CO 80424
(970) 453-6098
M-Th 9:00 AM-7:00 PM

USEPA Superfund Records Center

1595 Wynkoop St.

Denver, CO 80202

(303) 312-6487

M-F 8:00 AM-4:00 PM


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