Standard Mine Superfund site enters next cleanup phase

Public meeting June 30

Heavy metal is good for raucous parties. Heavy metals are bad for aquatic ecology and your drinking supply, and the Standard Mine, 10 miles west of the Town of Crested Butte, is responsible for contaminating Elk Creek with heavy metals. Elk Creek eventually reaches a confluence with Coal Creek, the town’s municipal water supply.

Crested Butte is 10 miles to the southeast of the mine, which is located at 10,000 feet in elevation in the Ruby Range of the Gunnison National Forest.
The Standard Mine site was added to the National Priority List (NPL) on September 14, 2005, based on elevated concentrations of metals in site soils and in Elk Creek. The contaminants of concern are primarily heavy metals with samples showing elevated levels of manganese, lead, zinc, cadmium, and copper.
Over the last five years, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have collaborated on cleaning up the Standard Mine Superfund site, and they are preparing for the next phase by soliciting public comment on a preferred alternative plan. This includes a public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Crested Butte Town Hall.