Region 8
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
3/19/2008
Final Date
9/3/2008
Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock
|
Site Type: Final NPL City: Creede County: Mineral Street Address: One mile north of town ZIP Code: 81130 EPA ID: CON000802630 SSID: 08MB Site Alias: Nelson Tunnel |
What's New?
Updated December 2011
The Remedial Investigation Report is final and available in the Site Documents section below. It is also available at the Creede Town Hall and EPA Superfund Records Center information repositories listed below. There is no official comment period for this document. However, EPA welcomes your comments. See the Contacts section below.
A structural geologist recently visited the site to learn more about the mine workings inside the Nelson Tunnel. Based on this visit, he recommended drilling a deep well up-gradient of the Nelson Tunnel and Commodore Mine workings to try to intersect the faults and fractures that may serve as conduits for water entering the mine workings.
Site Description
The Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock Pile Superfund Site lies about one mile north of the city of Creede in the Willow Creek watershed in Mineral County, Colorado. The abandoned hard rock mine site consists of a draining adit draining directly into West Willow Creek and a large unstable waste rock pile which is part of the Commodore Mine.
In 1889, a party of prospectors including Nicholas C. Creede located the Holy Moses vein in the East Willow Creek drainage. The vein was extremely rich in silver. Prospecting increased in this area and in West Willow Creek. Two claims were staked up West Willow Creek, the Last Chance and the Amethyst mines, which would become the richest, most profitable mines in the Creede Mining District. Creede was one of the last silver boom towns in Colorado. Mining lasted nearly 100 years with the last mine closing in 1985.
Nelson Tunnel in the 1890s
Courtesy of Creede Historical Society
West Willow Creek joins East Willow Creek to form Willow Creek which empties into the Rio Grande River approximately four miles downstream of the site. Historically, mining of silver, lead, and zinc provided economic viability to the area in and around the Creede mining district. The mining activity resulted in contaminated water discharging into the Willow Creek drainage and mine waste piles accumulating in the watershed.
Site Risk
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| surface water, mining waste rock pile | arsenic, cadmium, lead and zinc | mining |
Characterization of the watershed identified the Nelson Tunnel adit drainage as the largest source of cadmium, lead, and zinc in the Willow Creek watershed. Immediately upslope and surrounding Nelson Tunnel is the waste rock pile from the Commodore Mine, which is comprised of waste rock from hard rock mining that accumulated over the years. The waste rock contains elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc. In 2005, a less-than-20-year flood event caused catastrophic failure of the waste rock. The Commodore Waste Rock Pile is now highly unstable and partially lies in West Willow Creek and Willow Creek.
The Commodore mines and waste rock piles that today attract tourists, but are a reminder of the mining legacy left behind—contaminated waterways
West Willow Creek runs through the site carrying contamination into Willow Creek and the Rio Grande River four miles below the site. A biological assessment of the Willow Creek watershed indicated concentrations for cadmium, lead and zinc that exceed recommended dietary intake benchmarks and aquatic water standards for fish and birds. The assessment identified cleanup of Nelson Tunnel as a key element to restoring the Willow Creek stream and streamside habitat.
Since mining has moved out of the area, tourism and recreation have become the town's economic backbone. Fishing is an important part of recreation for visitors and locals. Fisheries have been impacted to the point that no fish exist for approximately a two mile stretch below the site. Below that stretch the fish are sparse and appear to be suffering from reproductive effects of metal contamination. Willow Creek is a tributary of the Rio Grande River, a State designated Gold Medal fishery.
Creede could be affected if another flood were to occur. The 2005 flooding sent waste rock below Creede, but did not breech the banks or the flume. If a greater than 20-year-flood were to occur, not only could the flooding bring contamination into town, but also rocks and debris, which could injure people and damage buildings. Fish kills further downstream or in the Rio Grande River could also occur.
Cleanup Progress
2010: Superfund Process
Nelson Tunnel today
As the Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock Superfund site gets underway we find ourselves traveling down the “Road to the Record of Decision” (ROD). Our first stop is the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS).
- The goals of the RI/FS are to determine the nature and extent of the contamination and to provide adequate information that allows EPA to recommend a remedy that addresses the potential risks to human health and the environment. The RI will characterize the water and determine if there is a way to keep clean water from becoming contaminated thus providing a smaller volume of water needing treatment.
- The FS process involves reviewing different technologies and evaluating the feasibility of these as cleanup remedy options for the Nelson Tunnel.
The best of the cleanup options will go into a summary report known as the proposed plan. One of these alternatives will be EPA’s preferred cleanup remedy. This will be presented at a public meeting where public comments are recorded. This includes a 30-day comment period for the public to submit their comments. EPA reviews the comments and responds accordingly. This responsiveness summary becomes part of the Record of Decision, the official document stating what the remedy entails. The remedial design and remedial action are the next steps in the Superfund process.
2009: Commodore Waste Rock pile
Constructing the new West Willow Creek channel
The Waste Rock pile needed to be reconfigured and a new channel made to slow the flow of West Willow Creek, especially during spring run-off. This was accomplished by:
- Waste rock was temporarily moved below the confluence of East and West Willow Creek to allow for re-configuring of the waste pile.
- A new channel was dug to a lower base and in some cases near the original base of West Willow Creek.
- An armored channel was constructed using rip rap and grouting to keep water from seeping through.
- Energy dissipating structures were installed to slow the flow of water.
2009: Development of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study began
- EPA reviewed data the WCRC, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety (DRMS), the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and Colorado University, Boulder had collected and EPA determined what information was still needed.
- Monitoring water in Nelson Tunnel for seasonal changes and “finger printing” continued. This will help determine the sources of the water entering the tunnel and where it is picking-up the metals.
2008: Commodore Waste Rock pile
- A temporary stream diversion around the construction area in West Willow Creek was completed.
- The diversion had provisions for overflow if circumstances dictated.
- Most of the debris, old pipes, flume, etc. were removed from West Willow Creek.
- In preparation for construction of the new conveyance system, some grading of the lower portion of the waste rock pile was completed.
2008: Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock Pile Superfund Site
- September 2008 the site received its final listing designation on the National Priorities List.
- March 2008 the site was proposed to be listed on the National Priorities List.
Community Involvement
Community involvement plays an important role in the Superfund process. EPA uses a number of different tools and resources to promote effective, on-going, meaningful community involvement. The goals of the Superfund community involvement program are to:
- Keep communities affected by sites informed throughout the cleanup process
- Provide opportunities for communities to comment and offer their input about site cleanup plans
- Facilitate the resolution of community issues tied to a site
A Community Involvement Plan for this site has been prepared and outlines any outreach activities that EPA plans to implement to keep the community informed and address community concerns.
Reuse
EPA places a high priority on land reuse as part of its Superfund response program mission. The Agency tries to select cleanup options that encourage and support future use of a site. We use two fundamental methods to facilitate reuse of Superfund sites:
- Exploring future uses before the cleanup remedy is implemented, an approach that gives the Agency the best chance of designing cleanup remedies to support the likely future use of a site
- Working with landowners and communities to remove barriers not considered necessary for the protection of human health or the environment at those sites where remedies are already in place
Land Use Controls and Other Institutional Controls
Land use controls are the most common type of institutional control (IC). ICs are administrative or legal controls that help reduce the likelihood for human exposure to contamination. ICs can also help protect the integrity of the remedy. Examples of ICs are:
- Zoning ordinances
- Environmental covenants
- Deed notices
- Well-drilling restrictions
- Building permits
- Informational advisories
Land use will be considered as a part of the RI/FS process.
Five-Year Reviews
EPA or the lead agency conducts five-year reviews following the start of a Superfund cleanup when contamination is left on the site. These reviews are repeated every five years. We use these reviews to determine:
- How the remedy is working
- If the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment
Five-year reviews are not yet needed at this site.
Site Documents
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Note: Best way to open a very large file: right-click and save it to a folder.
Remedial Investigation Report, November 2011 (PDF, 232 pp, 26MB)
Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment, October 2011 (PDF, 208 pp, 20MB)
Cleanup Update, June 2011 (PDF, 4 pp, 558K)
Final Community Involvement Plan, May 2009 (PDF, 27 pp, 993K)
HRS Package (the NPL proposal), March 2008 (PDF, 28 pp, 440K)
HRS Listing Fact Sheet, August 2007 (PDF, 4 pp, 372K)
Contacts
EPA
Mike Holmes
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (EPR-SR)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6607
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6607 (toll free Region 8 only)
holmes.michael@epa.gov
Peggy Linn
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (OC)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6622
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6622 (toll free Region 8 only)
linn.peggy@epa.gov
CDPHE
Wendy Naugle
State Project Manager
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South B2
Denver, CO 80246
303-692-3394
888-569-1831 ext. 3394 (toll-free)
wendy.naugle@state.co.us
Jeannine Natterman
State Community Involvement Coordinator
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South B2
Denver, CO 80246
303-692-3303
888-569-1831 ext. 3303 (toll-free)
jeannine.natterman@state.co.us
Information Repositories
Creede Town Hall
Meeting Room
2223 N. Main Street
Creede, CO 81130
719-658-0178
M–F, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Appointment is recommended
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South B2
Denver, CO 80246-1530
303-692-3331
888-569-1831 ext. 3331 (toll-free)
M–F, 8 a.m.–Noon and 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
EPA Superfund Records Center
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6473
800-227-8917 ext. 312-6473 (toll free Region 8 only)
M-F, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Appointment is recommended
Photo/Video Gallery
Photos of flooding below Nelson Tunnel (PDF, 4 pp, 401K, about PDF)
Click on a thumbnail below to view the full size image.
-
Removal of rock and debris from the Commodore Waste Rock Pile and West Willow Creek
-
Grouting the rip rap used to line the West Willow Creek channel
-
The armored channel after placing a liner and rip rap in the channel and grouting it to prevent any seepage of West Willow Creek
-
The West Willow Creek channel as it drops over the Commodore Waste Rock Pile
-
The new West Willow Creek channel as it flows down to join East Willow Creek
Links
Nelson Tunnel site at the CDPHE Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
ATSDR Public Health Assessments & Health Consultations – Colorado
Willow Creek Reclamation Committee