56 DECEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Creede Mining District Site Cleanup Adapted from Information by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DA Smith Drilling Company In 1889, a group of prospectors, including Nicholas C. Creede, located the Holy Moses vein in the East Willow Creek drainage of central Colorado, which was abundant in silver. Prospecting intensified in the area, leading to the staking of two claims up West Willow Creek - the Last Chance and Amethyst mines - which would become the most profitable mines in the Creede mining district. Creede was one of the last boomtowns in Colorado, with mining activities spanning nearly a century until the last mine closed in 1985. The EPA’s data shows that cadmium and zinc concentrations in the Rio Grande River downstream of the confluence with Willow Creek are higher than the state of Colorado surface water quality standards. For over 35 years, the contamination of Willow Creek and its tributaries due to mining activities and waste has been welldocumented. In response, the Willow Creek Reclamation Committee (WCRC) was established by community members in 1999 to address the issue. With the help of state partners and donors, the WCRC has utilized EPA grants to implement various cleanup projects and stabilize mine waste piles in the watershed. Despite these efforts, the Nelson Tunnel portal remains the largest single source of contamination. In November 2023, DA Smith drilled an exploratory horizontal core hole aligned near the historic Nelson Tunnel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Nelson Tunnel/Commodore Waste Rock Pile Superfund site project to better understand the area’s geology. To accurately align the horizontal hole with the tunnel trajectory, DA Smith’s Boart Longyear LM90 underground electric-hydraulic diamond core rig was used, and a high-pressure blowout preventer was installed at the collar to manage any potential water discharge. The outflow was diverted 400 feet downstream to a designated detention pond. To minimize hole deviation, a reinforced H-size coring setup was utilized, and regular downhole deviation surveys were conducted to ensure the hole remained parallel to the tunnel alignment. At a depth of 1042 feet, it was completed with excellent core recovery. To prevent a sudden water release from the Nelson tunnel training adit, the EPA is planning to install a flow-through bulkhead. They are also working with state and federal agencies to develop a comprehensive cleanup plan for the site. Their predetermined investigation involves drilling, coring, water treatment, and other prep work for the temporary remedial action. They will hold meetings to discuss the three phases of the interim remedial design: conceptual, intermediate, and final. The EPA is collaborating with the United States Geological Survey on underground sampling, while EPA consultants will sample surface water and groundwater to improve the conceptual site model for the final remedial action at the site. ENV Photos courtesy of DA Smith Drilling Company. eranhenderson@gmail.com New & Used Tricones PDCs Drag & Claw Bits Drill Collars Bit Tipping Subs & Stabilizers HDD Bits & Reamers DTH Hammer & Bits Custom Fabrication Junk Mills / Fishing Tools Rod Henderson 661-201-6259 Eran Henderson 661-330-0790 Booth 568 Blasting by: Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Blaster Certification January 14-16 ~ Sandy, UT contact: Reo Barney phone: 307-675-5612 e-mail: reo.barney@wyo.gov Education Connection Drilling Fluids by: Baroid Industrial Drilling Products Water Well Mud School January 13-17 ~ Houston, TX HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling) Mud School January 27-31 ~ Houston, TX phone: 281-871-4613 www.baroididp.com/en/aboutus/mud-school More education opportunities during events can be found by clicking here online at: worldwidedrillingresource.com
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