The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) hosted a community meeting on May 8, 2024, at the United Center in Idaho Springs to provide updates on the next phase in cleaning up contaminated mining waste in residential areas that pose a risk to human health.

Specialist Kyle Sandor from CDPHE moderated the meeting, discussing the process of conducting the sampling, notifying residents about possible contaminated waste piles on their properties, and arranging for remediation measures.

In 1983, the EPA designated 400 square miles in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties as an environmental superfund site because of the thousands of old mining claims in the area that are contaminated with heavy metals including arsenic and lead. Over the years, the EPA has addressed remediation of large mines and properties and is now focusing on smaller waste piles around residences.

CDPHE and the EPA conducted field sampling in 2022 and 2023 on waste piles that were identified as possible sources of heavy metal contamination. Sandor said that 88 of 100 initially targeted piles had been sampled and analyzed by the engineering firm CDM Smith, who will be producing a remedial investigation (RI) report in the summer of 2024.

Sandor noted that the RI report had been delayed because the EPA has recently issued new guidelines on lead levels of contamination, which required a reevaluation of the data. Based on the RI report, letters will be sent to property owners who have waste piles that need remediation. Sandor estimated that the letters will be sent sometime in the next month. The RI report will be released, along with the data, probably in June.

CDPHE will contact property owners who receive a letter; they will have the option of having a study done on their property to determine the feasibility of remediation efforts. There are a number of different ways to remediate a waste pile, including hauling the waste away or capping it. The EPA will shoulder 100% of the cost of the cleanup.

It is not mandatory for property owners to engage with CDPHE or approve remediation efforts on their property. Some property owners in the audience were concerned about property values if their property was listed as a superfund cleanup site. The EPA Remedial Project Manager Angela Zachman immediately responded that there have been studies that show property values are positively affected when remediation has been done on a property.

The meeting finished with a question-and-answer session. There were questions about which properties will be prioritized, why it has taken so long to produce the remedial investigation report, and how much funding is available to remediate residential properties.

Gilpin County Public Health Director Alisa Witt was at the meeting. She said that pregnant women and children from 0 to 8 years old are most at risk from lead poisoning. Lead in the body can cause physical and mental development problems. Witt said that anyone with concerns about their child playing around a waste pile should get them tested yearly for levels of lead in their system.

Another best practice to avoid contact with heavy metals is to remove and clean shoes before coming into the house, in order to avoid tracking dirt inside where toddlers crawl around. Also, she suggested making it a practice to wash hands, especially after children have been playing outside and before eating, to reduce the possibility of ingesting heavy metals.

Residents and property owners in the Central City-Clear Creek Superfund Site area can sign up for updates at cdphe.colorado.gov/hm/sign-up-hm-updates. The CDPHE superfund website is cdphe.colorado.gov/central-city-clearcreek. The EPA website is epa.gov/superfund/central-city.

Gilpin County Public Health can be reached at 303-582-5803 and their website is gilpincounty.colorado.gov/departments-offices/public-health-agency.

The next community meeting discussing the RI report and feasibility study will be on June 11, 2024 in Georgetown, in the BoCC Room. This meeting will be discussing the letters to be sent to property owners who have been targeted for remediation, as well as the publication of the 2022/2023 field work. There will also be a virtual option for this meeting. Contact CDPHE (303-692-6394) for more information about this meeting.