Unintended consequences related to abandoned underground mines will be the keynote lunch address at the San Juan Mining & Reclamation Conference in Durango, Colo. on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Speaking from 25 years of professional experience, mining consultant and Colorado School of Mines adjunct professor Terry Braun will speak about the practical limitations on preparation and stakeholder expectations related to the lingering environmental impacts of abandoned mines.
The conference was purposefully planned one year after the Gold King Mine in Silverton spilled millions of gallons of heavy metal pollutants into the Animas River, to bring together diverse representatives from the mining industry, environmental consultants, government agencies, nonprofits and citizens groups. In addition to a full day of information sharing, discussions and exhibits at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Aug. 4, the conference will offer partnership building at a reception at the Powerhouse Art Center on Wednesday, Aug. 3, and firsthand observation of mines in the Silverton mining district during a tour on August 5.
Lunch keynote speaker Braun is a practice leader at SRK Consulting (U.S.), Inc. in Denver, who has worked on such projects as planning, permitting and implementing the large-scale closure of the BHP Copper San Manuel mine and plant sites in Arizona. He has also led teams in mitigating legacy mining impacts at active and inactive mine properties in the western United States.
The morning sessions will focus on the state of watersheds around the San Juan Mountains as well as lessons from the Gold King Mine spill. The afternoon will focus on tools for environmental and water quality monitoring and innovative solutions for mine site remediation. Speakers will come from a wide range of organizations including Trout Unlimited, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ouray Silver Mines, Harrison West, EPA, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, La Plata Emergency Management, and Animas River Stakeholders Group.
For full agenda, go to http://tinyurl.com/2016SJMRCagenda.
In its sixth year, the San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference will continue to build on the shared understanding of the impacts of Colorado’s mining activities and history, with the goal of increased collaboration on innovative solutions for reclamation projects and addressing water quality concerns. The annual event is organized by the Mountain Studies Institute, Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety, Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, Willow Creek Reclamation Committee, and www.animasrivercommunity.org.
For conference information, go to http://www.mountainstudies.org/sjmrc/.
