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Location DB > United States > Colorado > Summitville > Summitville  Name Summitville  Viewing Options Log in to activate viewing options  Database Info created by SilentSearch on 6/17/2006 3:56 AM last modified by Emperor Wang on 10/11/2022 2:10 PM  Viewability Publically Viewable This location has been labeled by its creator as Public, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.  Overview  Description The Summitville mine was a gold mining site Rio Grande County. It is remembered for the environmental damage caused in the 1980s by the leakage of mining by-products into local waterways and then the Alamosa River. Although mining operations have ceased, there is still active clean-up, soil/water monitoring, and research covering a wide area around the site.  Basic Information Type: Outdoors Status: Active Accessibility: Moderate Recommendation: check it out if you're nearby  Physical Information Address Summitville, Colorado United States Owner: EPA See a map of this location  Hazards unsafe flooring Some structures very unsound. Do not enter.  Interesting Features Many old structures and beautiful scenery.  Security Measures Active site so workers probably wouldn't take kindly to UE'ers  Historical Dates Built: 1870 Closed: 1992  Required Equipment binoculars gloves long pants / sleeves Camera  Recommended Equipment  History 1860 - Charles Baker's group of prospectors found traces of placer gold in the San Juan Mountains in 1860 at Eureka, Colorado. 1861 - The group is forced out by the Ute Tribe, who had been awarded the area in a US treaty. 1871 - The group returns when lode gold was found in the Little Giant vein at Arrastre Gulch. 1873 - The group is allowed to stay after The Brunot Treaty on September 13th. In exchange for giving up 4 million acres, the Southern Ute Indian Reservation received $25,000 per year. Gold veins were found at 11,500 feet on South Mountain the same year and the town was founded when stamp and amalgamation mills were built. 1885 - There are more than 250 individual claims in operation. 1959 - Up until this year, 257,600 Troy ounces of gold are extracted. 1970 - The land is resurveyed for copper. 1984 - The site is acquired by the Canadian-based Galactic Resources Ltd. subsidiary Summitville Consolidated Mining Company, Inc. (SCMCI). They began a new large-scale open pit operation covering 550 acres, and utilize new techniques to extract gold previously to expensive to mine. 1990 - Heavy metals and acid from the mine are suspected to have killed stocked fish in downstream reservoirs on the Alamosa River. 1991 - Mining operation cease. 1992 - Galactic Resources files for bankruptcy after a gov't issues cease and desist order due to clean-up costs related to a decade plus of leaching sodium cyanide in to the surrounding area. An estimated 85,000 gallon of leachate reaches surrounding creeks. US Government declared the site a superfund cleanup site and spent $155,000,000 of public funds cleaning up the site. 1994 - US EPA begins clean-up under Superfund Emergency Response. The main problem was the contaminated water held in an inadequate pond system. Another source of contamination was water leaking from older underground workings. The EPA estimated that 3,000 US gallons were leaking from the site every minute. However, despite the water having a pH of around 3 (acidic), a USGS study stated that the run-off was no serious threat.  Media Coverage  Future Plans  Stories Our visit Sat, Jun 17th, 2006 posted by SilentSearch Add your own story  Photo Galleries Summitville Sat, Jun 17th, 2006 posted by SilentSearch 21 pictures Bottles Down Tue, Sep 7th, 2021 posted by Weirdlig 10 pictures Add your own photos Mark all galleries as Seen  Web Links http://pubs.usgs.g...95-0023/summit.htm http://en.wikipedi...i/Summitville_mine  Contribute Edit this Location  Moderator Rating The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location. This location has not yet been rated by a moderator.  Validation This location's validation is current. It was last validated by Emperor Wang on 10/11/2022 2:11 PM.  Latest Changes on Oct 11 22 at 14:11, Emperor Wang validated this location on Oct 11 22 at 14:10, Emperor Wang changed the following: Web Links on Oct 10 22 at 20:17, fr00tCake changed the following: Latitude, Longitude, Co-ordinate Accuracy, Prefer Satellite, History, Description, Web Links on Sep 7 21 at 18:46, Emperor Wang validated this location on Sep 7 21 at 0:31, Weirdlig added some pictures to a gallery on Sep 7 21 at 0:27, Weirdlig created a new gallery on Jun 16 11 at 20:41, Emperor Wang validated this location on Jun 16 11 at 20:40, Emperor Wang changed the following: Latitude, Longitude, Co-ordinate Accuracy on Jun 22 06 at 21:31, Emperor Wang validated this location on Jun 17 06 at 5:25, SilentSearch made this location available  Forum Threads about this Location  Who's been looking? Click here to see who'se been looking.  Report Problems Is this location inappropriate / broken / missing key info? 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