A third source water protection plan (SWPP) meeting for the towns of Nucla and Naturita was held on Sept. 26 at the Nucla Community Center. The first couple SWPP meetings in the West End reviewed the watershed boundary and possible sources of contamination.
Last Thursday’s meeting was led by Robert Murphy, of the CDPHE, a Source Water Assessment and Protection Program Coordinator. The two-hour session included several guest speakers from area agencies, and mining and wildfire were the focus, to assess their risk for the local watershed.
Murphy, who’s helped create approximately 300 SWPPs in the state, reminded all that it’s about establishing a proactive approach to protecting the water. The process is done through the partnership of Colorado Rural Water Association.
First on the agenda was Dan Ben-Horin, Uncompahgre Field Manager for the BLM, who gave an annual update. He spoke about ACECs, or “areas of critical environmental concern.” While, the BLM receives nominations to create various ACECs, only three recently proved to meet certain criteria. After review, Atkinson Mesa and Third Park qualified; Elephant Hill was a “no.”
Then, Lucas West, of the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS), shared his knowledge about the Idarado Mine in Telluride, as it relates to source water. West gave a brief history of mining in the local watershed and showed claim maps. West said the majority of local claims are for gravel, stone and sand, but the Idarado is officially an active claim for lead; however, it’s not mining.
The group discussed the Gold King Mine incident of 2015 and what might happen if the Idarado Mine inadvertently released toxic waste into the San Miguel River.
West said the joke at the state level is that the Idarado is a “water management company with a small mining problem.” He said owners manage that operation very well and are inspected annually. He commended their bulkhead project that uses underground workings, designed to prohibit any release of substance. He said it’s remarkably built and discharges into a lagoon system for treatment. Managed by the Newmont company, they’re about best practices and compliance, according to West.
Murphy agreed it’s a good thing Newmont is running it.
If a release of the Idarado happened, the CC Ditch could be turned off, so that water didn’t hit the West End’s reservoir. The group discussed having a remote shut-off for the ditch head gate and a turbidity monitoring valve, to protect equipment from breaking at the water treatment plant. Could those be something the National Resources Conservation Service helps pay for?
Megan Eno, USFS Norwood Ranger, said some with claims are actually divesting in mining at this time. She also said there’s been work locally in removing mine tailings, so that if something catastrophic were to happen, like an earthquake, those toxic materials would stay out of the water. The USFS works with the state and the EPA, surveying sites and identifying old piles that could be a risk to the public. They cap or remove a handful of those annually.
“It’s part of our workload every year,” Eno said.
Regarding uranium, not much is happening. West said five active mines are located in the Big Gypsum Valley. The rest are inactive. None are draining or within the watershed boundary.
Using the SWPP matrix, the group decided the risk of mining to local source water was unlikely and insignificant for any small mining operations, and the same was determined for inactive and closed mines. It was decided the probability for abandoned mines to impact the water was unlikely or rare, and the impact insignificant. Overall, the mining risk was deemed low to very low.
The meeting ended with a wildfire discussion, including the Bucktail Fire. The group agreed some black runoff was happening as a result of the recent fire.
Eno said the USFS will work on reseeding operations during the winter, so that when the spring runoff happens, seeds can travel and revegetate local terrain. She said reducing fuels on the Uncompahgre Plateau is a priority, and the Norwood Ranger District will be speaking to the towns of Nucla and Naturita this spring about prescribed burns to thin vegetation. She said it’s about making sure fires don’t get out of hand. She said more prescribed burns mean less severe impacts after any fire, plus less erosion and fewer invasive plants.
Eno said the Bucktail Fire was a good reminder of what can happen. As far as the matrix goes, she said the West End should rank wildfire as likely and significant. It’s a high risk.
The next SWPP in the West End will discuss forever chemicals, PFAS, and any monies available from state programs. The time and date will be announced soon.
