Feds: water trapped in Leadville tunnel poses little risk

Feds: water trapped in Leadville tunnel poses little risk

www.aspentimes.com

DENVER — The estimated billion gallons of water trapped in a tunnel in the hills overlooking Leadville poses "no imminent public safety hazard," despite the county's emergency declaration over fears of a catastrophic blowout, according to a Bureau of Reclamation study.

A draft report released Monday said it's "unlikely there would be a sudden release of water from the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel." In a statement, the bureau said it evaluated the risk from the tunnel using a process similar to one used to assess the risk at its dams.

In declaring an emergency in February, Lake County commissioners feared the water trapped behind a collapse in the tunnel could blow at any moment with devastating effects, sweeping away mobile homes in the town of 2,600. The trapped water was enough to fill about 1,500 Olympic-size swimming pools.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
en.wikipedia.org

Every couple of years or so the specter of a wall of water crashing down on Leadville rears it's head again. Every year the reports are completely conflicting. If there really is no eminent public safety risk, then why are the feds constantly up there pumping water out and testing stabillity? It seems to me that this is a great example of telling the people "everything's just fine, no need to panic!" while the building around them is going up in flames.

www.aspentimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

My family actually has a cabin 20 miles or so from Leadville. Beautiful little town. I have heard about this before. That kind of accident would wreak havoc in the area causing mudslides and untold damage. This is something to watch.