This would allow disaster relief crews to enter the mine and try to contain the flow, installing a new bulkhead at the Argo in Idaho Springs.Ĭlear Creek supplies water to a dozen towns and communities between Idaho Springs and the eastern plains before draining into the Platte River, which provides water for dozens more. It would continue to drain, but much less. Each day an additional 1,200 lbs of heavy metal waste would pour into the creek.Īfter the initial high pressures were released, the water flow would subside. This would spell more significant problems. Thousands of gallons of toxic water would pour into the Creek in minutes, no longer filtered and neutralized by the treatment plant. The risk of immediate flooding in some areas would be present, but unlikely. For most of the time between 19, The Argo drained directly into Clear Creek and the creek could contain the flow. The mouth of the tunnel would be roaring, but Clear Creek sits between the Argo in Idaho Springs and the town itself. If a failure was to happen, hundreds of gallons of water would come spilling out of the same entrance that spewed the toxic acid and metals 70 years ago.Įvacuations would happen quickly, but Idaho Springs would be safe from the flood waters. The pressure on the bulkhead is so great that the bolts need to be replaced two at a time, consistently year-round. The water behind the bulkhead is routed to a treatment facility where it is cleaned before it enters the local water supply, flowing at 700 gallons a minute.
Today that water pressure is held back by a large bulkhead just a couple hundred feet into the mine at The Argo. After the high-pressure surge died down, it continued to drain contaminated water into Clear Creek for decades before the Environmental Protection Agency stepped in to contain the contamination and treat the water. The water, and its toxic contents of heavy metals and acid, shot out of the mine like a fire hose for many hours after the accident leading to the permanent closure of The Argo Mine and Tunnel. The wall burst, killing the four miners and flooding the tunnel. The wall was holding back thousands of gallons of water at high pressure, and the weakened wall couldn’t hold it back. Unknown to the miners, their efforts had weakened a portion of the rock wall. The morning started like any other, with miners descending into the tunnel to continue their search for rare earth metals.įour miners were working to construct drainage and an access point for the Kansas Lode mine group so they could use the Argo Mill and Tunnel for the refinement process when the disaster struck. The Argo in Idaho Springs – January 19 th, 1943
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