Wednesday, May 17, 2006
County receives $200K grant from EPA to remediate Argo mine site
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
16 May 2006
Contact: Barb Halpin, Boulder County Public Information Officer, 303-441-1622
Bridgette McCarthy, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, 303-678-6276
Rich Mylott, EPA Press Office, 303-312-6654
Boulder County receives $200K from EPA to remediate Argo mine site
Project will reduce metals impacts to Little James Creek in the Lefthand Watershed
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented Boulder County with a $200,000 EPA Brownfields cleanup grant yesterday for the 13.7-acre Argo mine site near Jamestown. The grant will fund a three-year project to remove potential contamination sources and improve water quality in the Lefthand watershed, which is the primary drinking supply for the 18,000 customers of the Left Hand Water District.
“The Argo Mine remediation will complement ongoing EPA, state and local efforts to address mining impacts throughout the Lefthand Watershed,” EPA assistant regional administrator Max Dodson said. “We look forward to making significant progress on improving surface water quality, protecting drinking water sources and enhancing open space as a result of these projects.”
The Argo Mine is located approximately 1.4 miles north of the town center of Jamestown, within a cluster of historical mining sites in the Lefthand Watershed. Precious metal mining began in the area in the mid-1800s. The most recent mining activity in the watershed stopped in the mid-1990s, and no mines or mills currently operate in the watershed.
Waste tailings piles on the Argo property currently add contaminants into Little James Creek. Planned cleanup activities include capping and removing mine waste piles, restoring the stream channel, controlling erosion and reducing drainage and runoff through a passive water treatment system. This project is part of a larger watershed improvement plan developed by local stakeholders and government agencies to address mine-related impacts in the area.
Boulder County purchased the Argo mine site in 2000 in order to prevent future mining or development and to protect the property as public open space. The site is managed by the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department and will continue to be protected as open space following project completion.
“We are so pleased to receive a Brownsfield grant to get this important project rolling,” Parks and Open Space Director Ron Stewart said.
In addition to the EPA grant, Boulder County will receive $30,000 in funding from the Colorado Department of Minerals and Geology.
Boulder County joins communities in 44 states, two territories and three tribes that will share $70 million in grants to help improve local communities. In all, 209 applicants were selected to receive 292 grants for assessment or cleanup of properties. The Brownfields program promotes redevelopment of properties like the Argo Mine into productive community uses, such as open space protection.
For more information on the Brownfields program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
Photo (left to right): Max Dodson, EPA Assistant Regional Administrator (Region 8); Kenneth Lenarcic, Mayor of Jamestown; Elizabeth Russell, Lefthand Watershed Oversight Group; Ben Pearlman, County Commissioner; Tom Mayer, County Commissioner; Colleen Williams, James Creek Watershed Initiative
-END-
Dan Rowland, Communications SpecialistBoulder County Commissioners’ Office
drowland@bouldercounty.org
303-441-3399
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