Mill Tailings Impact Assessment
Telluride, Colorado
Fluvial transport of mill tailings from former milling operation upstream of the Town of Telluride has resulted in tailings deposits along the San Miguel River on U.S. Forest Service land comprising a portion of the Telluride Valley Floor. The deposits occur in areas heavily used by hikers, bikers, and anglers. Western Water & Land performed an initial assessment of the tailings deposits to characterize metals concentrations in the tailings and evaluate the threats posed by the tailings to human health and the environment. Results of the assessment showed that the tailings accumulations pose both human-health and ecological threats, and as a result of continued erosion and fluvial transport, threaten downstream uncontaminated lands owned by the Town of Telluride and managed under a conservation easement. The Forest Service entered into an agreement with the company responsible for the tailings contamination which conducted an engineering evaluation/cost analysis to develop removal action alternative to mitigate the threats. Western Water & Land provided technical oversight services to the Forest Service to ensure the tailings areas are properly characterized and evaluated with respect to human-health and ecological threats and the resulting mitigative actions are appropriate and protective of human health and the environment.
Telluride, Colorado
Fluvial transport of mill tailings from former milling operation upstream of the Town of Telluride has resulted in tailings deposits along the San Miguel River on U.S. Forest Service land comprising a portion of the Telluride Valley Floor. The deposits occur in areas heavily used by hikers, bikers, and anglers. Western Water & Land performed an initial assessment of the tailings deposits to characterize metals concentrations in the tailings and evaluate the threats posed by the tailings to human health and the environment. Results of the assessment showed that the tailings accumulations pose both human-health and ecological threats, and as a result of continued erosion and fluvial transport, threaten downstream uncontaminated lands owned by the Town of Telluride and managed under a conservation easement. The Forest Service entered into an agreement with the company responsible for the tailings contamination which conducted an engineering evaluation/cost analysis to develop removal action alternative to mitigate the threats. Western Water & Land provided technical oversight services to the Forest Service to ensure the tailings areas are properly characterized and evaluated with respect to human-health and ecological threats and the resulting mitigative actions are appropriate and protective of human health and the environment.