Cement Creek, which was flooded with millions of gallons of mining wastewater, meets with the Animas River on August 11, 2015 in Silverton, Colorado. The Environmental Protection Agency accidentally released approximately three million gallons of wastewater into the creek from the Gold King mine, polluting the larger Animas River downstream. Theo Stroomer/Getty Images
CJK Milling is looking to remine decades-old mining waste that piled up in Colorado, in hopes of excavating more gold from discarded ore, However, the town's residents are divided with reluctance.
Extracting gold in old mining waste means increased pollution, according to AP News. Since Colorado town, specifically the Leadville, already has a long history with pollution, residents think another gold mining activities will worsen their problem.
The interest to remine in Colorado came from the growing trend of extracting valuable materials from what was considered as 'worthless' waste, as they grew more valuable these days. CJK Milling also believe that remining in Leadville will pick up their cleanup rate and may even promote circular economy, where waste is reused and recycled.
Behind CJK Milling, a mining veteran recognizes that a rubble on top of Colorados highest summit still contain more gold than any large mines currently in the works in the US. VCPost earlier reported that gold price is nearly $3,000 per ounce.
In a 2008 NY Times article, Leadville has become one of America's most contaminated local waterways that contained toxic materials, such as lead, zinc and arsenic, due to mining activities.
AP News, who interviewed a fisherman, stated that they could not risk the environmental risk anymore. At the same time, residents who grew up in the town are also worried that disturbing decade-old mine waste could undo years of cleanup efforts and generate more waste than before. Families who live in mobile homes could be at disadvantage as well, especially if the waste will affect waterways again.
Residents stand firm that old mining piles are still in Leadville, it's only a matter of time before it worsens again and make its way into their water supplies.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded to Leadville residents' concerns with a positive outlook on CJK's proposal, stating that it can potentially improve the old mining water, although a clean up support is needed.
Mining Waste Globally
Globally, Resilience reported that mining companies leave billions of tons of wastes every year. Now that gold prices have gone up, more excavation is being expected not just across US, but also the world.
While remining can potentially reduce waste, as EPA remarked, advocacy groups are cautious about its actual impact. After all, AP News also noted that CJK will not necessarily remove old mining waste from Leadville. Hence, cleanup support is recommended. If not done correctly, remining's waste will just pile up quickly, a fear that Leadville residents have echoed.
Join the Conversation