Colorado officials have shut down what they consider illegal mining and milling operation south of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and above Jefferson County communities, reported The Colorado Sun.
Officials say the uncontained chemicals like cyanide including are a hazard to the public and environment. Important to note is that Arvada officials said the operations do not present any threat to their drinking water sources.
Rocky Flats Environmental Solutions says it is not a mining operation but a testing and cleanup site for other mine operators, reported The Colorado Sun.
The company is currently shut down under a state cease-and-desist order. The mining reclamation will evaluate the case later this month, said Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris Arend, reported The Colorado Sun.
Additionally, The Mined Land Reclamation Board and its inspectors, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment water quality experts, and other agencies are working to monitor and protect local community watersheds.
There is a 22-page inspection noting multiple alleged violations, which includes: tanks with thousands of gallons of cyanide solution sitting above a concrete berm, which does not protect against potential spills; and a proprietary chemical method is used for leaching precious metals from ore and used electronics.
The facility is also alleged for lacking emergency plans “to prevent or halt a leak of dangerous chemicals,” reported The Colorado Sun.
“These guys came in hostile, they threatened us, and I’ve never had an agency act that way,” said David Emslie, one of the listed owners of Rocky Flats Environmental Solutions, said in an interview, reported The Colorado Sun.
Emslie adds that mining waste can be processed and “everything put to good and beneficial use,” Emslie.
Additional comments from Emslie: “Much of these metals have to come from somewhere and if we can de-Superfund Superfund sites and remove an environmental problem while at the same time creating jobs and creating local materials that don’t have to be shipped halfway across the world that can be used locally for the creation of everything from computers to solar panels to electric cars, it is a good idea to turn this waste into something that is useful,” Emslie said.
