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LWOG completed a plan for the Lefthand Creek watershed in 2005. The two year project was funded by a Section 319 Non Point Source Grant that the organization received in 2003. The watershed plan is a review of the various issues affecting water quality in the watershed, as well as synthesis of existing information that will help provide a cohesive strategy to address problems, especially those associated with past mining operations. The plan will enable LWOG to provide educated, data-based recommendations regarding watershed management to local landowners, water users, water rights owners, and government officials at the local, state, and federal level.

Download Lefthand Watershed Plan (PDF 3.54 MB)

Local citizen volunteers have formed the Lefthand Creek TAG Coalition (LCTC) to monitor the Superfund cleanup of the Captain Jack Mill site located just outside the town of Ward. Those involved in the organization are residents who live downstream of the site, drink Lefthand Water District Water, or like to recreate around Lefthand Creek.

Aided by a Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) of $50,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency, LCTC will hire an independent technical advisor to help interpret and comment on site-related information. LCTC is looking for more concerned community members to get involved by serving on the Board of Directors or by signing up for the mailing list. If you are interested, please email board president Jan Toniazzo at lefthand_TAG@yahoo.com.

Captain Jack Superfund Cleanup Underway
By Cathy Schuster, CDPHE

The investigatory stage at the Captain Jack site is well underway, and initial results were presented at a public meeting held on June 27 at Camp Tahosa. The consensus was that it was a useful forum, with additional meetings to be planned as the Superfund process progresses. The Captain Jack Mill site investigation has been ongoing since late last summer and included sampling of the surface and ground water on approximately a quarterly basis, along with an extensive soil and plantsampling
program. Bug sampling data taken by LWOG in 2001-02 will be included as part of the analysis. An underground investigation was conducted in the White Raven, Black Jack and Big Five tunnels, as well. After a final round of water sampling, the site investigation will be completed. Preliminary findings indicate exceedances of lead, arsenic and thallium in the soil and manganese, cadmium and copper in the water. The underground investigation at the Big Five Tunnel came to an end when the team
encountered a collapse at 850 feet within the tunnel. Discussions are taking place between The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and U.S. EPA regarding how and when to address the situation in the Big Five Tunnel.

For further information contact Cathy Schuster at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at 303-692-3308 or Rob Henneke at the U.S. EPA at 303-312-6734.

Honeywell’s cleanup of the Burlington Mine outside of Jamestown has been completed. The company spent nearly $2 million over the four year process, which was done through Colorado’s Voluntary Cleanup Program. The mine operated from 1914 through the early 1970s and the principal ore mined was fluorspar, though other minerals were extracted, as well.

The site has been a concern for local residents for years because of the dangerous pits and holes, as well as the acid mine drainage flowing from the mine into Little James Creek, which is a drinking water source for Jamestown. Honeywell addressed the major public health and environmental hazards associated with the site.

The entire mine site was fenced and all of the hazardous openings were closed. Thirty-five thousand cubic yards of wasterock were pulled back from Balarat Creek and moved to engineered repositories. There the wasterock was neutralized with lime and re-vegetated to help prevent future damage to water quality. Prior to the cleanup, a large subsidence pit existed on the site. Balarat Creek used to flow into the pit, through the mine workings, and out into a mine pond, causing acid mine drainage to flow into Little James Creek. The pit was filled in and Balarat Creek was diverted around the area. This reduced the flow of polluted water from the mine pond from a high of 1000 gallons per minute to five gallons per minute. It is possible that there will be further cleanup action at the mine in the future.

Honeywell continues to evaluate the mine pond discharge to see its impact on Little James Creek. The company is also working on a treatability study to determine potential treatment options for the mine pond discharge.

Slide Mine to be Addressed Though Colorado’s Voluntary Cleanup Program
By Elizabeth Russell, LWOG

The Gold Reef Mining Company has submitted a Colorado Voluntary Cleanup Program application for the Slide Mine, located just outside of Rowena. For information about the mine, application or cleanup, please contact the LWOG coordinator at lefthand_water@yahoo.com.

The James Creek Watershed Initiative was formed in 1997 as a citizen based conservation group committed to engaging the local community in protecting and restoring the waters of James Creek and the surrounding forest. During the spring of 2005 they have taken direct action to accomplish the following projects:

• James Creek Restoration Project – JCWI and its partner, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, organized over 70 volunteers to stabilize stream banks with willow plantings, improved road drainage with finishing the water bars, and planted native seed along the 3-mile stretch of County Road 102J along James Creek.
• Overland Fire Tree Project - On April 9th they distributed 800 ponderosa pine seedlings to victims of the 2003 Overland fire to reforest their private land.
• Mulch the Gulch Project – On June 11th and 18th they worked together with the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department to haul and spread 170 bales of straw in the gulch that flooded Jamestown during 2004 in an effort to prevent further soil erosion.

For more information about James Creek Watershed activities, please contact Executive Director Colleen Williams by email at colleen@jimtown.org, or visitor their website: www.JamesCreekWatershed.org.

Group Helps Jamestown Develop Plan to Protect Public Drinking Water Source
By Gary Vanderslice, Colorado Rural Water Association

The Colorado Rural Water Association (CRWA) is providing free services to the Town of Jamestown for development of a source water protection plan for their public drinking water system. In a nutshell, CRWA’s role is to provide expertise regarding protection options, and to act as a catalyst for source water protection of drinking water sources.

The plan being developed will identify specific issues and protection measures to maintain or improve
quality of the untreated source water. Due to its relatively small size, Jamestown’s source water area has a “moderately-high physical setting vulnerability” rating, which means that nearly any contaminant release Group Helps Jamestown Develop Plan to Protect Public Drinking Water Source in the source area has the potential to negatively impact the water source.

The project area includes the James Creek Watershed and South Saint Vrain Creek Watershed located upstream from Jamestown. The Lefthand Water District and City of Boulder are other public water systems with a significant interest in this project. Collaborators involved with the project are LWOG, James Creek Watershed Initiative, Boulder County, U.S. Forest Service, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Water Quality Control Division.

Over the next few months, CRWA will write the initial protection plan, turn it over to a local steering committee, and then provide assistance with implementing the plan. For more information please contact Gary Vanderslice at garyvanderslice@msn.com or (303) 776-9888.