Argo Tunnel Mine Treatment Facility Tour

The LPC and RMWQAA have the opportunity to host a tour of the Argo Tunnel Mine and Treatment Facility in Idaho Springs. The tour will be held on June 21^st beginning at 10:00 am. It is recommended that people arrive at 9:45 to allow for some time to get everyone together and organized. Registration and more details can be found on the RMWEA site at:

https://memberleap.com/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=11040

Some supplemental info about the Argo Tunnel:

The Argo Tunnel was the primary drainage and ore transport tunnel from Nevadaville to Idaho Springs. Excavated between 1893 and 1910, the tunnel drained water from several mine workings, and allowed ore carts to be wheeled right up to the Argo Mill next door. Although the tunnel has not been used to transport ore since the 1940s, water still drains through it day and night. The tunnel discharge averages 300 gallons of acidic, contaminated water per minute. Nearly 850 pounds of dissolved metals are released from the tunnel each day. The Argo Tunnel Water Treatment Plant began operating in April 1998, treating water from the Argo Tunnel, the Big Five Tunnel at the west end of Idaho Springs and groundwater from Virginia Canyon.