Engineering Analytics staff provide reclamation services for the Idarado Mining Company, a subsidiary of Newmont, at their facilities in southwest Colorado. The inactive legacy sites include the Red Mountain Mining District (Ouray County) and the Pandora Mill site (Telluride), and associated facilities. Services provided by EA staff have included collection and disposal of tailings from impacted sites, stream stabilization, maintenance facility design, activities associated with preservation of the historic Pandora Mill building, and water management for the historic Bridal Veil Power System.
Water management activities for the Bridal Veil hydroelectric system include Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management services for rehabilitation and maintenance of nearly four miles of historic pipelines supplying water to the Bridal Veil Powerhouse for generation of utility-grade electricity. The facility, operated under a FERC permit exemption, provides power to the Town of Telluride and the San Miguel Power Association. EA provides project management and engineering services for rehabilitation and maintenance of the 100-year-old pipelines that supply water to the powerhouse, including dam safety programs for the two high-mountain storage reservoirs that supply water to the project. EA project managers coordinate with Newmont, Telluride, San Miguel County and FERC managers, and Colorado Dam Safety officials to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the system.
For preservation of the Pandora Mill building, EA coordinated interested parties, including the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (CDRMS), the History Colorado Administration, the Town of Telluride, San Miguel County and other local entities to develop a plan to preserve the building. EA provided asbestos surveying and abatement oversight for the mill building. EA staff organized and directed stakeholder meetings, worked with CDRMS to develop reclamation amendment options, developed viable clean-up levels for the mill, obtained cost estimates for the clean-up, and presented viable options to state and local government officials. We worked closely with Newmont leadership, their internal and external counsel, site managers, and regulators to effectively keep the project moving forward. As a result of our involvement with this site over many years, we have developed a good understanding of multi-jurisdictional regulatory boundaries that affect the site. We are also aware of the intricacies of working on a site in near proximity to residential, recreational, and tourist areas.
