Millsap Mill Tailings Re-Grading Project 1

Al Amundson, P. E. Project Manager

Julie Annear Project Manager
Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety
1313 Sherman Street, Room 215
Denver Colorado 80203
303-866-3567
al.amundson@state.co.us

The Millsap Mill Tailings are located just south of Victor, Colorado in the Cripple
Creek Gold Mining District, in a relatively remote and arid environment where
waterways are stressed by dewatering, intensive agriculture, urban use, and the impacts
of over a hundred years of hard rock gold mining. This project brought together a diverse
group of state, federal and local agencies, land owners, water rights holders, and non
profit organizations, including over 20 partners.

The Millsap Mill Tailings ponds were created from the 1900’s to 1928’s to hold
tailings slurried from the Independence Gold Mill. The original dams held nearly two
million cubic yards of tailings and were breached several decades ago allowing the
tailings to erode downstream during storm events. This siltation has caused wild trout
habitat to become significantly degraded in Four Mile Creek, and has eliminated the
possibility of Millsap Creek being a fishery. During heavy rain events, this sediment also
reached the Arkansas River. The goal of this project was to stop the massive erosion,
reestablish native vegetation, and ultimately improve and protect the downstream wild
trout habitat. Reclamation of the tailing serves to alleviate one of the major stresses on
the stream system.

This project is more than reclamation partnership; it is a cooperative effort that

includes the State of Colorado Department of Corrections Vocational Training Program
located in Buena Vista. The inmates become skilled in operating heavy construction
equipment and in construction management as well as cooperation with co-workers and
supervisors. The program is successful in training and developing life long skills which
greatly reduce recidivism, easing the burden on the prison system. This program
provides jobs to the inmates upon release and over 95% of the participants have
employment opportunities when released.

1Presented at the 30th annual National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs Conference,
October 26 – 29, 2008; Durango Colorado