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Colorado Central Magazine

What geologists have to say about Summitville

Brief by Central Staff

Mining – July 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Ever since the Summitville Mine closed in 1992, it’s been often in the news. The open-pit gold mine, at the headwaters of the Alamosa River in Rio Grande County, had already been under state scrutiny for water pollution.

When the mine closed, its owner — Galactic Resources of Canada — filed for bankruptcy after producing $82 million in gold. And now clean-up costs have already exceeded $150 million.