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HISTORY <br /> The Mt . Emmons area west of Crested Butte is one of many <br /> historic mining districts in Colorado . Over the past decades , <br /> several mining operations were developed to extract the <br /> precious and base metal ores . In the 1 970 ' s , after extensive <br /> exploration , the Climax Molybdenum Company defined a large <br /> moIybdenite ore body underlying the area . Based upon market <br /> conditions at the time , development of a molybdenum mine/mill <br /> complex was economically feasible . By 19810 , work was <br /> proceeding on permit and property acquisition , mine/mill <br /> design , mine development , and construction of production <br /> facilities . <br /> The C 1 can Water Act requ i red an NPDES perm i t , and i n order to <br /> meet the effluent parameter limits for Coal Creek , it was <br /> imperative that a water treatment facility be provided to treat <br /> any anticipated mine water discharges as well as the existing <br /> mine water discharge from the historic Keystone Mine which was <br /> located on the property . Upon completion of construction , <br /> operation of the Mt . Emmons Water Treatment Facility commenced <br /> in 1981 . The precipitate generated by the treatment facility <br /> would eventually be deposited in the Mt . Emmons on-site tailing <br /> impoundment , however , at the time that the water treatment <br /> plant became operational , the tailing impoundment location and <br /> design had not been finalized . in the interim, it was decided <br /> that even though the treatment facility precipitate was fixed <br /> and inert , that rather than burden the Gunnison County Landfill <br /> with the materiai , it would be expedient to transport the <br /> material , via commercial carrier , to the Climax Mine tailing <br /> impoundments for deposition . <br /> in 1982-1983 , the extensive capital expenditures required to <br /> develop the mine could no longer be justified because of the <br /> precipitous decline in the molybdenum market . As a. result , the <br /> project was postponed indefinitely until such time as the <br /> market should recover . From 1982 to date , the market has <br /> remained depressed , and the deposition of the Mt . Emmons Water <br /> Treatment Facility precipitate continues at the Climax Mine . <br /> Since the transportation of the precipitate has never been cost <br /> effective , alternative methods / loca.tions for final disposition <br /> of the precipitate are under study , but it appears that <br /> deposition will continue to be at the Climax Mine site in the <br /> foreseeable future . <br />