Posts tagged Boulder

Valmont Butte settlements reached; cleanup to begin

The City of Boulder, Honeywell International Inc. and Tusco, Inc. recently reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in the amount of $350,000, to resolve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) costs for its past investigations at the Valmont Butte.

The Valmont Butte property, located at the intersection of 63^rd Street and Valmont Road in Boulder County, is comprised of an abandoned ore milling complex and associated tailings ponds. The city purchased the property in 2000.  In 2004 and 2005, the EPA investigated the site and prepared a site assessment report.

The City of Boulder also recently reached settlements with Honeywell and Tusco to resolve their liabilities as past owners and operators of the Valmont Butte mill site. Under those settlement agreements, Tusco will pay $300,000 and the remaining costs for remediation will be split 50/50 between the City of Boulder and Honeywell, with the option to resolve the final allocation of costs between the city and Honeywell in an abbreviated, mini-trial process.  Honeywell will also be responsible for covering the EPA costs.

The city is now preparing to move forward with cleanup activities at the property.  These activities will include the consolidation of contaminated soils into the area of the primary tailings pond, the placement of an engineered cap over the contaminated soils, and the preservation or removal of buildings and structures.  Work is expected to begin January 2012 and is expected to be complete in late summer 2012.  When work is being conducted in sensitive areas, a tribal monitor and/or an historic archaeologist will observe the excavations.

More information about the settlement agreement and about the Valmont Butte is available at www.valmontbutte.net.  For questions about the upcoming work at the Butte, contact Bill Boyes at 303-441-4125.