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Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund Site
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November 26, 2025
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Fall Newsletter
November 2025
 Completion of 2019 Interim Record of Decision Actions
EPA signed an Interim Record of Decision (IROD) in 2019 for the BPMD Site. The IROD identified selected cleanup actions to be taken at 23 source areas at the Site. The actions included in the IROD addressed EPA’s goal of minimizing human and ecological risks in the BPMD by stabilizing mine source areas.
As of Fall 2025, all 23-source area cleanup actions were completed. The completion of these cleanup actions will inform the development of a full cleanup plan, or a final Record of Decision, for larger and more complex sources areas of contamination at the Site.
 Interim Remedial Actions Source Area Locations – Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund Site
List of source areas where 2019 IROD cleanup efforts have been completed:
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- Anglo Saxon Mine
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Bandora Mine
- Ben Butler Mine
- Brooklyn Mine
- Campground 4
- Campground 7
- Columbus Mine
- Frisco Bagley Mine
- Grand Mogul Mine
- Henrietta Mine
- Junction Mine
- Koehler Tunnel
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Longfellow Mine
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Mammoth Tunnel
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Mountain Queen Mine
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Natalie Occidental Mine
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Pride of the West Mine
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Silver Wing Mine
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Sunbank Group Mine
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Terry Tunnel
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Tom Moore Mine
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Vermillion Tunnel
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Yukon Tunnel
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EPA, Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), and the Town of Silverton will be hosting a public meeting on Wednesday, December 10th from 5-7pm at the Kendal Mountain Center in Silverton, CO. EPA and the Superfund Redevelopment Program will present on the Bonita Peak Mining District's Mayflower Tailings Impoundment Reuse and Redevelopment Options. We are seeking community feedback to assist San Juan County in determining future use possibilities. In addition, MSI will be providing an update on the Animas River Corridor.
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Following years of planning, design, and construction, in the challenging seasonal conditions of the San Juan Mountains, Cell 1 of the repository is now operational. Treatment generated solids (sludge) from the Gladstone Interim Water Treatment Plant were successfully solidified and transported to the repository. EPA contractors have already transported over 2,500 cubic yards of sludge from Gladstone. Sludge transportation is wrapping up this week and will resume next spring. The BPR is essential to sustaining water treatment operations and provides capacity for future disposal.
This milestone reflects exceptional coordination and commitment among state, and local partners. Community concerns and feedback were thoroughly integrated into our cleanup decision-making process. These efforts contribute toward improving water quality.
 Bonita Peak Sludge Hauling Photos from 11/6/2025
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The EPA Site Team has created an estimated 2025-2027 cleanup roadmap for the BPMD site. The schematic is divided into primary source areas and superfund phases. These timelines are only estimates and may change.
 Estimated 2025-2027 Cleanup Roadmap for the Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund Site
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EPA is planning to close the Red and Bonita bulkhead valve mid-Nov for a long-term test. The purpose of this is to reduce the volume of water that will need to be treated into perpetuity, which could simplify the sites’ water collection strategy. There will be rigorous monitoring during this test, if negative observations are seen, EPA will open the valve and return to current conditions.
 Valve at the Red and Bonita Mine Bulkhead
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More Information
For more information about the Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund Site, please contact the site's Community Involvement Coordinator, Ashlin Brooks, at brooks.ashlin@epa.gov.
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